What are FIVE ways your spouse won your heart?

1. Chivalry. Even before we started dating, my husband would open my car door for me. That seems so small… but it felt big! Once we started dating, I had a mutual friend message me to say he had held the car door for her too (which she’d never had someone do for her before) and to never let him go. (Spoiler, I didn’t.)
2. Compassionate towards animals. You can tell a lot about a person in the way they interact with animals. Again, before we ever officially started dating, my husband brought my cat a gift on her birthday. It was completely unexpected and so thoughtful. Since we’ve been married (over the span of 14.5 years), he has agreed to own 4 dogs, 4 cats, 5 hamsters, two rabbits and a fish. (Not all at the same time.)
3. He was good with kids. The summer after we started dating, my husband volunteered to work at his church’s VBS. He was placed with a young group.. maybe 6 or 7year-olds, and was given a few of the more challenging boys. I got to help on one of the days… and just watching him interact with the kids and play with them… it warmed my heart. I knew he’d be a good dad someday. (And he is!)
4. We could face challenges together. About a month after we started dating for the second time (yes, he broke up with me after 2 or 3 weeks the first time, and then we got back together after a month) I went to live in Japan for a year. The majority of our dating relationship was spent over 6,000 miles apart. We made it through with many hours of phone calls and so many pages of cards and snail-mail letters. It was tough though… there was a 15/16 hour time difference (Japan doesn’t do daylight savings), lack of technology, (I didn’t have my own computer and only had access to one at the junior high where I worked, 4 days a week.) and the expense of phone calls… which I had to buy international calling cards for. But it all worked out… and we got engaged 3 days after I returned home, and married 4.5 months after that!
5. He sends me flowers, even when he can’t. While I was in Japan, my husband took photos of flowers to put into a book that he then sent me. It was unique and so thoughtful! He knew one of my love languages is gifts and that I love flowers! And I have to say… he is STILL particularly GOOD at surprising me with flowers now, even after all the married years… and not just the typical “flower giving holidays”, (though he has always remembered those days too) … but often, randomly.