let romance fall like the raindrops in the sky

All this rain has me thinking about romance or the lack thereof.

One of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. It's a completely sappy "girl" movie but I love it and could watch it over and over again. So here's a brief synopsis of the movie. Meg Ryan meets this guy on-line who she later finds out is her arch business rival. They hate each other in the business world but began to fall in love with each other via an Internet chat room they find on AOL. I love it because it takes you back to the time of dial-up Internet connection when it really took effort to get on-line. It's also romantic because they write each other day and night and discuss their feelings, their lives and possibly meeting each other in person. I'll stop there with the synopsis because I don't want to ruin the movie if there are actually still people in the world who haven't seen it.

All this points in the direction of today's question, where is the romance? I can't say that I've experienced the most romantic relationships in the world but I've definitely seen some men and women go out of their way to show their loved one how much they appreciated them. I remember dating a guy once who surprised me with my favorite candy and flowers at The Dessert Gallery. I thought it was the sweetest thing. What a lot of people fail to realize is it really is the thought that counts. People just want to know that they've crossed your mind. They want to know that when they are away from you, you miss them, you think about them and that you are counting down until the next time you see them again. 

Here are five simple things to keep the romance alive. Try one a day for a week and let me know how that weekend turns out for you. J

1. Write an old school love letter. Remember paper? Remember handwriting and spraying a love letter with your perfume or cologne? It would be LOVELY to receive something in the mail other than a bill. If you are at a lost for words, write down the lyrics to your favorite love song or poem that reminds you of that person. I promise when they receive that letter, they will smile and think of you for the remainder of the day.
2. When you are out grocery shopping pick them up a whole bunch of one thing they like. If your girl likes tulips, by her 3 dozen of tulips in different colors. If your dude likes Hershey candy bars, by him 20 of them. It's the thought that if that's what you like or love I want you to have as much as your heart desires.
3. When your visiting or staying over with your significant other, write them a sweet note in soap on the bathroom mirror. It's something about waking up, stumbling into the restroom and then being alerted by a sweet nothing written by the love of your life. Forget coffee, that will keep you awake and vibrant all day.
4. Go straight Cliff and Clair Huxtable and slow dance in the middle of the living room to your favorite romantic song. It may seem corny at first but try it. One night when things are quiet enough just turn on the radio, put the TV on the music channel or put your Ipod on Pandora and grab your boo and slow dance. This will do one thing that we all love, create a lasting memory. After all, isn't that one of the best  parts of love?
5. Lastly, try sitting down with your sweetheart and playing a romantic game full of questions that will take you down memory lane of your relationship. Ask things like, what was I wearing the first time I said I loved you or what place did you take me on our first date. With each correct answer, reward your sweetheart with something sweet. With each incorrect answer reward them with something sweeter so they won't forget the answer the next time you decide to play the game. Again, you just want to let someone know you appreciate them and think about them all of the time.

I leave you with this video from The Cosby Show. They tought us a lot but one thing they didn't skip out on was the romance between a man and a woman. Let's vow to bring in back.

Miracles and Blessings!