The Minestrone

The last week, I have been miserable with a sinus cold, drained of energy, aching, with a throbbing head ache, just trying to get through the day, trying to get the necessary sleep, always a challenge around here, to recover. One day, my husband said : " Would you like me to make some vegetable soup?" I eagerly accepted. So my creative cook of a husband set out to make the best minestrone soup I think I ever had, with finely chopped parsley, onions, tomatoes, garlic, red potatoes, red beans. It was so good, with some grated Parmesan cheese on top, and a whole grain buttered hot roll. Ah, it wrapped my beat up body and emotionally vulnerable heart as if in a warm blanket. To be loved, when you are at your most unlovable, irritable, tired, with red eyes and runny nose, sneezing, hacking, coughing, feeling ugly and worn out, it was magical, the best medicine ever. As hard as marriage can be, as challenging as it can be certain days to keep a 27 year relationship thriving on a daily basis, there are times when the tenderness of enduring love make it all worth while. This miserable head and sinus cold was worth it, because it made me realize my husband loves me still, as I warmed my heart and body time and again from the big pot of steaming hot , delicious minestrone. Home is where the heart is, I can only hope I make Michael and Nicholas feel as cozy and safe as they make me feel all these years. This is the best Valentine's gift my husband could have gotten me. His own time, his own effort, coming from his heart, steadfast and there, each and every day.