Love Stories for the end of February

Daily Dose of Sunshine: Today’s Inspiration

• A Delightful Couple

• The vacuum story

• Love is what drives my business

A Delightful Couple

In mid-February, I sat with a delightful couple to show them insurance options. They weren’t on camera, so I get to picture them as beautifully as they came across to me.

He had a deep, rich voice and then she would make a comment, and I was leaning in to hear her. She had the softest, tiniest, highest voice I’ve ever heard. She was like a little bird or a fairy. I imagined she had a lightness about her, like she could almost float. I had to ask her to repeat herself a couple of times and apologized that I was having a hard time hearing her. He cooed that everyone says that. I could literally hear in the tone of his voice that he was looking at her affectionately. There was a smile in his voice. What a moment to witness. Such tenderness.

They each bought policies to protect the other, specifically wanting to make sure neither would be left in a difficult financial situation. That’s love.

The vacuum story

And now, without much of a segue at all from that loveliness… In a recent huddle meeting, one of our leaders was sharing a photo of a new vacuum he bought over the weekend. This in response to a general question of what fun things people had done over the weekend. We all started cracking up. I mean, it was a nice vacuum, but THAT’S the extent of your weekend fun? He started laughing too and admitted that when a vacuum purchase is your big excitement, you may be a grown-up.

In fact, my car builder, racecar driver, gearhead 16-year old has started catching himself thinking of housewares because he plans to own a house at eighteen. We’ll be at Lowe’s and instead of just eyeing the tools, he’ll be noticing bathroom fixtures, or window treatments. Then he’ll shake his head and try to fling that thought, and shiver, and say, “Whoa. That is just way too adult for my age.”

But it was the talk of vacuums this morning that got me thinking of one of my best Valentine’s gifts ever. Yes, it was a vacuum, and before you say I’m crazy, it wasn’t exactly the gift that was such a gesture, but the buildup to it.

Back when we were first married and new parents to our now 19-year old, Scott, my husband, worked and I was staying home with a newborn. I was exhausted all the time, but as a newlywed, I tried to have the house all nice and tidy when he got home. You know, like June Cleaver. The vacuuming was difficult because we had an older model that just wasn’t picking up anymore. I’d pointed this out once or twice.

One day, Scott came home and I was still trying to finish vacuuming. The baby was in his crib, being adorable and wanting attention. Scott said, “Why don’t you go sit on the porch swing with Ben and I’ll vacuum. You just relax.” Sweet, right?

So, I’m out on the porch rocking gently, cradling my darling boy, enjoying the hum of a sunny afternoon, and the scent of my rose bushes. It’s kind of precious. And then I hear Scott going back and forth over the same section of floor over and over and over again. I know he’s getting it why the floors don’t look as clean as we want. He’s experiencing my frustration.

The vacuum is shut off. The screen door opens and out flies the vacuum onto the walkway, shattering into pieces. I jumped. Scott calmly stepped out of the door, and said, “Whoops. It slipped. And… oh… by the way? We need a new vacuum.”

We ended up researching the best vacuum we could afford using the Consumer Report. And when we went to buy it, he thought it should be red since we were close to Valentine’s day.

Love is playful and sometimes a practical gift that is a bit of joke can be super romantic. Wow. I can turn even a cleaning product as a gift into a treasured memory. But, honestly, I will never forget that Valentine’s!

Love is what drives my business

This I know. I am seeing it in leadership. And I am seeing it in the people I have the privilege to work with. It’s either a couple protecting one another, a parent looking out for their kids, or couples with grown kids making sure their beneficiaries don’t inherit turmoil. It is love that drives us to care for, protect, and serve.

I’m excited to share stories of the folks I meet in my work. Because people are endlessly fascinating and no two stories exactly alike.