On Valentine's Day, I always wish I could conjure up wonderfully romantic lines to write in a love letter for my husband.
Am I the only one who struggles to come up with words to tell a sweetheart how much he means to me? Hardly.
So what do I do? I try to put myself in Shakespeare's shoes. "Thou maketh me laugh." Hmmm. Not quite.
Then I decide to follow the advice of talented wordsmiths who have tried to help people, like me, who suffer from Valentine's Day writer's block. Tom Chiarella at Esquire, for example, published "How to Write a Love Letter." It's packed with great tips, such as, "Tell a story, one that only the two of you know."
But the first anecdote that pops into my head doesn't seem right. Should I really write my husband a note that says I realized I loved him when I unwittingly stepped in dog poop and then into his rental car – and he said, "No big deal. I'll clean it up"?
Maybe I can figure out how to explain the way his random acts of sweetness make me melt. Picking me up at the train station in a torrential downpour? Swoon-worthy.
Esquire's Chiarella also advises that a love letter "is private" – not meant to be publicly displayed on the refrigerator (or, presumably, online). And so, I'll save the rest of my "show, don't tell" examples just for my husband.
I will try to be original – but I may be unable to resist tucking in a few romantic lines from favorite books and movies (with proper attribution, of course). In case you'd like to use some of these good love quotes, too, I'll share here:
"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
– "The Fault in Our Stars"
"There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough."
— "The Notebook"
"Most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."
— "Dirty Dancing"
"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
— "When Harry Met Sally"
"It is better to love wisely, no doubt: but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all."
— "Vanity Fair"
"Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't forget it."
—"On Golden Pond"
But wait! If you didn't find the line you'd like, read Best Quotes About Love.
