Why do I love you?

Your lips are so soft and sweet and the words from them are never meant to hurt me or anyone else.

Why do I love you?

Your smile has a depth that shows both your joy and your pain. And I want to scoop up your beautiful face and kiss away all of the sadness. Your past lies behind your eyes and rarely crosses your lips but inside you, it has seeded a garden of the kindness that the world has not shown you.

Why do I love you?

Your laughter fills a room and invites more. It often stems from my silly attempts to amuse you, to woo you with my wit.

Why do I love you?

You know the words that hide behind my lips before they touch the air. You coax them out with your gentle invitation and embrace them, without judgment. You encourage me; you encourage all around you. You don’t just hear but listen to what is said.

Why do I love you?

I can be myself around you. I don’t have to pretend to be what you want me to be. You do actually love me for who I am. You accept me with all my flaws and imperfections.

Why do I love you?

I love you because you’re selfless and giving. You think about others before you think about yourself in a most beautiful way.

Why do I love you?

Your thoughts, your ideas, your plans, your dreams. I love how you embrace the dreams of the ones you love and incorporate them into yours.

Why do I love you?

You are always trying to bring unexpected joy into the lives of those around you.

Why do I love you?

I love the respect and kindness you offer to me and everyone around you, how you honor the opinions of others.

Why do I love you?

Your passion for the things you love makes my love for you stronger every day. Your eyes light up when you talk about things you care about and I can listen to you all day long.

Why do I love you?

I love you because you care about things that are important to me and make an effort to learn more about them.

Why do I love you?

I feel like you really know me, and that I really know you, in ways that I haven’t experienced before.

Why do I love you?

• I feel like I have known you forever, and that we really get each other.

• You are a kind, smart, and loving person, and it feels amazing to be around you.

• There are so many things about you that are unique, and I want to keep learning more.

• You have a pure heart and look at the good in every person, thing, and circumstance. Your kindness, empathy, and beautiful nature make not just me, but everyone happy.

• I love you because when you hug me, it feels like we’re two pieces of a puzzle that just fit perfectly together.

• One of the funny reasons why I love you is that you’re a goofball, which means I can be a goofball around you too, unabashedly.

• You’re constantly validating my feelings, which makes me feel loved.

• Whenever I’m with you, I know that I am in a safe space. And I long to make you feel safe as well. You deserve a safe space.

• It feels like nothing bad can happen when we are together because we have each other.

• It feels amazing to know someone that has the same interests as I do, and that we both find value in doing the same kinds of things.

• I never thought I would find someone that cares about the exact same things as I do.

• Knowing that we care about the same things makes me feel validated and comforted.

• You make me feel like I am worthy of love and support.

• You’ve helped me realize my strengths and good qualities, which I struggled to see/appreciate before.

• I feel validated when you help me recognize the good in myself.

• You make me feel like I can be the person I’ve always wanted to be.

• You make me feel like I am taking steps every day towards being a better person.

• You make me feel like I have found somebody that I want to stay connected to forever.

And I feel like I may have overlooked a few things.

• I love that you know everything! No, I’m not being sarcastic. You’re probably the only person on earth who has more URFs that I do. And I love that!

• I love that you take care of the ones you love (often with the medical knowledge you have acquired over the years of very intentional, thorough study).

• I love that your skin is like porcelain.

• I love the little black beauty mark under your right eye. At first, I thought it was a mascara smudge and wanted to do the whole lick the thumb thing and wipe it off.

• I love that you snort when you laugh.

• I love that you understand what I’m saying before I even get all the words out.

• I love that your ponytail is too short so it sticks directly out.

• I love that we wear the same size shoe.

• I love your tenderness.

• I love the pause right before you laugh when I’m picking on you.

• I love that you make huge dinners but barely eat any of them.

• I love that you know how to cook. Oh my goodness, I’m going to get so fat living with you.

• I love that you are so patient with me…and Sophia…and Nicholas…and Grace…and Rhonda…and Harper…and my mom…and traffic…

• I love that you forgive mistakes.

• I love our family.

• I love that it’s hard to make this list because I love so very many things about you.

Most of all

I love us.