{"id":3875,"date":"2026-02-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/?p=3875"},"modified":"2026-02-14T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T12:00:00","slug":"valentines-day-marriage-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/valentines-day-marriage-story\/","title":{"rendered":"A Valentine\u2019s Day Marriage Story: How to Keep Love Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"yoast-breadcrumbs\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/\">Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb <span class=\"breadcrumb_last\" aria-current=\"page\">A Valentine\u2019s Day Marriage Story: How to Keep Love Fun<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">4<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Since today is Valentine\u2019s Day, I invited my husband to share his favorite Valentine\u2019s Day memory. This story comes from earlier in our marriage, but the lessons have stayed with us through more than <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/my-story\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/my-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five decades together<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-good-intentions-and-the-realities-of-marriage\" data-level=\"2\">Good Intentions and the Realities of Marriage<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-a-valentine-s-day-marriage-surprise\" data-level=\"2\">A Valentine\u2019s Day Marriage Surprise<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-stalling-for-time-and-searching-for-a-valentine-s-card\" data-level=\"2\">Stalling for Time and Searching for a Valentine\u2019s Card<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-seven-dollars-no-card-and-a-lesson-in-marriage-creativity\" data-level=\"2\">Seven Dollars, No Card, and a Lesson in Marriage Creativity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-late-night-inspiration-and-a-valentine-s-day-memory\" data-level=\"2\">Late-Night Inspiration and a Valentine\u2019s Day Memory<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-join-the-conversation\" data-level=\"2\">Join the Conversation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">By Harry Lucenay<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-good-intentions-and-the-realities-of-marriage\"><strong>Good Intentions and the Realities of Marriage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">February 13 fell on a Friday. All week, the thought of Valentine\u2019s Day had tugged at my conscience. I meant to stop and buy Nancy a card. I planned to pick up something special. But intentions kept getting crowded out by responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As I headed out the office door toward the funeral home that afternoon, I asked my secretary to remind me to buy a Valentine\u2019s card. That would be my top priority. She smiled with a knowing sparkle but said nothing. I didn\u2019t realize she was guarding a secret. I didn\u2019t even know there was a secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-valentine-s-day-marriage-surprise\"><strong>A Valentine\u2019s Day Marriage Surprise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">After the graveside service, I sat in the funeral director\u2019s car, listening, once again, to advice about handling some church matter. Then I noticed a late-model car with two striking women inside, creeping along the back of the parking lot. They pulled alongside us. One rolled down her window, leaned over, and slipped an envelope to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Inside was a note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/112_Valentines-kidnap-note.jpeg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Valentine's Day kidnapping note\" class=\"wp-image-3881\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The woman handing me the note was my wife, grinning with delight. Her accomplice, our long-time babysitter, left Nancy with me and drove off toward our house to take care of our three young children. The plot was officially underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-stalling-for-time-and-searching-for-a-valentine-s-card\"><strong>Stalling for Time and Searching for a Valentine\u2019s Card<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As we slid into my car, my mind went into overdrive. I needed to pack. My wife assured me she\u2019d taken care of that, and the luggage was already in the trunk. I knew how much she loved cards, and I knew, without question, that I\u2019d failed. My words were a stalling tactic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWhat about Mr. Barr?\u201d I asked, referring to a quail hunting trip planned for Saturday morning. Don\u2019t misunderstand me. A night away with Nancy sounded far better than trudging through a field with Mr. Barr. Still, I needed an excuse\u2014any excuse\u2014to buy time and maybe a card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Nancy calmly informed me she\u2019d already taken care of everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I kept talking ninety miles an hour, hoping speed might create opportunity. Somehow, I convinced her to let me stop by my office \u201cjust for a minute.\u201d Unknown to me, she\u2019d already alerted my staff and church leadership. There was nothing left to do. Still, we stopped. I don\u2019t know what I imagined. Perhaps a hidden stash of Valentine\u2019s cards would miraculously appear in my desk drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-seven-dollars-no-card-and-a-lesson-in-marriage-creativity\"><strong>Seven Dollars, No Card, and a Lesson in Marriage Creativity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I exited empty-handed. My wallet held exactly seven dollars. No card. No gift and no plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As we headed toward Jackson, Mississippi, my nerves found an outlet. I rambled about funerals. How, over the years, funeral home staff had pinned so many carnations on my lapel that I\u2019d grown to despise them. Carnations smelled like grief. They reminded me of burial services and final prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We checked into the hotel. Waiting in the room was a bouquet of carnations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Foot. In. Mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">At dinner, I searched for an excuse to stop at a drugstore, but Nancy stayed close, stuck to me like a burr on my hunting jacket. I had no freedom. My last attempt to secure a Valentine\u2019s card quietly died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-late-night-inspiration-and-a-valentine-s-day-memory\"><strong>Late-Night Inspiration and a Valentine\u2019s Day Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Later that night, inspiration finally struck. If I couldn\u2019t buy a card, I\u2019d make one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">After Nancy fell asleep, I slipped her purse open, fished out her lipstick, and tiptoed to the bathroom. I wrote my Valentine\u2019s message on the mirror. Writing on glass does no kindness to a tube of lipstick, but it was the best I could do. My card was neither store-bought nor polished. But at last, I had a card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Creativity sparks a marriage. Thinking outside the box gives birth to the unexpected. You don\u2019t need to overspend. The cost of the above was covered by several months of saving little-by-little. Use your imagination to create healthy surprises for your situation. Your efforts could ignite a little fun in your marriage journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cRelish life with the spouse you love each and every day.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Ecclesiastes%209%3A9&amp;version=MSG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ecclesiastes 9:9<\/a> MSG)<\/p>\n\n\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Fvalentines-day-marriage-story%2F&#038;text=A%20Valentine%E2%80%99s%20Day%20Marriage%20Story%3A%20How%20Creativity%20and%20Commitment%20Keep%20Love%20Fun%20by%20%40HarryLucen90448%20on%20%40NancyLucenay&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Valentine\u2019s Day Marriage Story: How Creativity and Commitment Keep Love Fun by @HarryLucen90448 on @NancyLucenay <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Fvalentines-day-marriage-story%2F&#038;text=A%20Valentine%E2%80%99s%20Day%20Marriage%20Story%3A%20How%20Creativity%20and%20Commitment%20Keep%20Love%20Fun%20by%20%40HarryLucen90448%20on%20%40NancyLucenay&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-join-the-conversation\"><strong>Join the Conversation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I\u2019d love to hear from you! What special Valentine memories or ideas do you have? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the Comments box at the bottom of the page. (If you don&#8217;t see the Comments box, click Read More and scroll down.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since today is Valentine\u2019s Day, I invited my husband to share one of his favorite memories from earlier in our marriage. What followed was an unexpected plot, a missed card, and a reminder that creativity and commitment can turn even imperfect moments into lasting love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[156,551],"tags":[460,565,459,566],"class_list":["post-3875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","category-marriage","tag-beyond-the-front-door","tag-marriage-story","tag-nancy-lucenay","tag-valentines-day"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - 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