What is Romance to Me?

They say "love makes the world go round," and seeing as I'm a hopeless romantic as well as a romance writer, I have to agree. We were just talking about our favorite movies last week, and while I stand by my choice of Disney's Enchanted, another favorite of mine is the movie Love Actually. It touches on what love means in many different types of scenarios...you know, the kind that actually make up real life?

For me, my definition of love and romance has changed as I've grown up into the 30-something woman I am now. When I was younger, I was all about the "displays" of romance. Evenings out, romantic dinners over the softly glowing light of candles, grand gestures of love from my signifcant other, etc. Now, well...I'm not going to lie and say I don't like any of those things anymore, because of course I do...but love and romance means something different to me today.

I have four children, and let me tell you--there's little that can compete with that type of love (as all you parents out there already know). With my parents, brother, and other family members yet another type of love exists. And I can say the same for the love I feel for my amazing friends. We have pets, too! And yep, they also take up a corner of my heart.

And then there's my husband. This man supports me day in and day out, he takes my bad moods when I have them (and usually tries to make them go away), he's funny and makes me laugh often, and while we don't have very many romantic nights out...there's another type of romance at play here--the day in and the day out.

Little things like bringing me my coffee in the morning without my having to ask, buying me a favorite treat from the grocery store when he knows I'm in a funk, a quick hug in passing -- for no real reason at all, are all romantic to me. And then there's the big things...the very big things that mean more than a bouquet of flowers ever will.

When you get married, you vow to be there for each other through sickness and health. We're all used to hearing this whenever we go to a wedding. It's supposed to be there, because it makes sense, after all. I've talked about this before, but a little over a year ago, I became very ill. The details of which I don't want to go into here, but suffice it to say I was in the hospital for two months. My husband visited me every single day while taking care of our four kids, keeping the house together, doing the shopping, cleaning, laundry, etc.

And then, when I came home, he was there for everything I needed to get myself back to ...well, myself. He had to do a lot of things that were difficult (to say the least), but never did I feel anything but his support, his love, and his happiness that I was home again. So even if he never brings me another bouquet of flowers, or takes me out to a candle-lit dinner, or any of those other "romantic" gestures, I'm a happy girl. Because when push came to shove, he stood there solidly by my side, loving me and taking care of me.

Really, what's more romantic than that?

Happy Valentine's Week everyone! May you look around and appreciate the love and romance in your life, even if it's not made up of grand gestures. :)

Also! Week two of my celebration for my debut release, A Taste of Magic continues over at my personal blog. This week, Holly Jacobs is my guest, and we're giving away FOUR autographed copies of one of her titles. Stop by, read her words about love and romance, and enter to win! www.tracymadison.com.