Friday night we had a date to our favorite little lounge restaurant in town.

The weather has been perfect so I pulled out my little black dress, curled my hair, took time on my makeup and even remembered earrings. He got dressed up and we took Betty Lou – our 1958 Chevy Bel Air – to steal away for a couple of hours together. As always, he made me feel pretty.

On Saturday we found ourselves in the yard. He was done trimming the curly willows when I asked if he needed help. I threw on my gardening jeans, old tennis shoes and a baggy shirt.

We both drug branches by the armload to the edge of the forest, dumping them just over the line. As I walked back for the third time I caught him grinning at me.  “What are you laughing at?” I asked. “You are so cute!” With a glint in his eye. “What are you talking about?” I could feel myself start to blush.

“You are just so beautiful like that. I just love having you out here helping me.” He snapped a couple of pictures and sent them to me.

I love that he wanted to snap these because it’s the dates nights we usually Instagram. It’s the family portraits where we’ve scrubbed and primped and polished ourselves. This was a moment he wanted to capture.

It was just another moment in my life that confirmed the truth about what beauty is to a man worth who knows how to love.

It isn’t in the fancy clothes, every hair in place, perfected makeup and trim figure. It’s in the daily connection of life. The willingness to stand side by side in the mundane chores of living is why we belong together.

Today I went through some of our vow renewal photos. The look of love he gave me that night isn’t any less devoted than it was out on the berm Saturday in the sweaty job of hauling dead wood to the edge of the yard.

The choice to live gently is what has brought us this far. To love passionately is what makes us crave time with each other. Doing both is what keeps our love growing when life has seems hopeless and raw.

As a little girl I craved a man who would think I was beautiful. As a woman I’m so blessed to have found a husband who actually makes me feel that way.