Romance for Real

I'll admit; I'm a sucker for an occasional Christian romance novel, or a good chick flick. But I've noticed that these shallow attempts at love leave the reader/viewer dissatisfied. Not just myself, but probably most women if they are honest. These lackluster story lines of boy gets girl or vice versa typically portray a man too sensitive or in tune to the female's feelings to have appropriate levels of testosterone. But yet they awaken an emotion of discontent on the most subtle levels in the heart of a girl. We are soon questioning why our own men aren't sweeping us off our feet by saying the perfect thing at the perfect time, or somehow just knowing what we need at the precise moment as a perfectly written romance novel. (Which, need I point out, was probably written by a female?) I've learned that romance doesn't dwell in the words of a book portraying a non-human male. Romance, I mean the real romance of life after "I do" lies in the most unlikely and hidden ways that in no way can be captured on film or in printed novels. Due to some issues upon moving into our new home we were offered a free maid service. My husband turned them down and told the manager he preferred the way I kept his house-that I kept it cleaner than any maid service could do. Instead he negotiated for a free washer and dryer.
Now, I know a lot of women may pounce on the opportunity to have a maid for a day, but I have to tell you, this made my heart swoon more than any false male hero in any Christian romance novel.
Just knowing my husband not only notices the work I do in his home, but appreciates it and enjoys it, is enough to bring tears to this emotional pregnant girl's eyes. Just in that one sentence to the manger he swept my hopelessly romantic feet right off the ground.
Now, who would have ever thought that turning down a maid service could be so romantic. Seven years ago I might have rolled my eyes at such a notion. I know screen play editors would leave that on the cutting room floor and I'm not so sure that would be in any book boasting, "Over one million in print!"
But my man made me feel loved in the most real way, the way a real life man makes a real life woman feel cherished, appreciated, needed, and enamored. Because in real life there are toilets to clean, base boards to scrub, toddlers to chase, dinners to prepare, and a hard working tired man coming home at the end of the day to relax in the comfort of his home. And my man likes the way I keep his home and that makes this romantic heart beat a little faster. And that is romance for real.

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