We were leaving on our “Big Trip,” mile one of 8000 plus other miles. My husband Mitch is not a fan of books on tape, but he agreed to listen to the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman as we began our adventure. The five languages of love are words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts. This story is about The Gift.

Our journey was beginning; we would be in a 24-foot home for 51 days. I might as well learn some relationship tips, although, after 43 years, I would hope we knew this stuff.

The book was interesting, and one of the main tenets we both acknowledge from the chapters was how one communicates and perceives love. If your partner doesn’t understand your mode of communication, then all hell breaks loose.

Gosh, Darn, People Like YOU!

For example, I like words of affirmation. Not the old Saturday Night Stuart Smalley’s Daily Affirmation… but just a verbal show of  acknowledgment, at least one positive thing that demonstrates, “Hey, I see you!”  

There’s a lot of opportunity for messages to get lost in translation. For example, If Mitch thinks my love language is acts of service like helping with dishes or putting gas in my car (hmm, he hasn’t done that!), then he thinks he is showing love, and I am not hearing it.

When we got to the chapter about receiving gifts, it gave us both pause. Gifts are visual symbols of love; for some people, this is an important message.  You can hold a gift in your hand and say, this person was thinking of me. 

It is not about money or extravagance; it symbolizes a thought about you. People with this love language often remember every little gift they received from a loved one because it’s so meaningful to them.

This resonated with us, and although neither of us sees gift-giving as our primary love language, we were intrigued by the message. The book described that all through the ages and in every culture, people show their appreciation through a gift. The gesture could be something you made or a unique item you had that you know will give joy to another.

Here is Our Story

We were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The cute town was Grand Marias, and the nearby campsite was Woodlands Park. As soon as we parked at the campground, we met our neighbors Cathy and Larry. The four of us walked into town and shared a pizza and some drinks. And then they told us about Yooper Rocks found on Lake Superior’s shore.

These rocks turn an effervescent orange when a special UV light is shined upon them; the search begins when it is dark. Mitch immediately bought the light.  Side note, I have this light at home; it is a dog pee searchlight!

When it turned dark, the four of us walked to the beautiful shores of Lake Superior and searched. I am from Long Island and searching for the rocks reminded me of searching for shells near the ocean. So many people were out in the moonlit shores looking for treasures.

Although Mitch initially didn’t find a Yooper Rock, he found a perfect heart shape stone and presented this gift to me (Love language). Cathy saw the rock and said it was one of the items on her bucket list. It, indeed, was a keeper.

We did not find a Yooper Rock that evening. Once we were back in our RV, there was a knock on the door. It was Larry; he offered us his magnificent Yooper rock that he found that evening. It was a meaningful gift to us. 

I asked Larry to wait a moment, and after consulting with Mitch, we presented Larry with the heart-shaped rock. It was on Cathy’s bucket list, and we knew it would be important to her.

Yooper Rock

We immediately put the Yooper Rock on the RV wall and turned on our UV (also known as dog pee searching) light! It ignited!

Mitch eventually found many Yooper Rocks, and now we have a collection to go along with his clock collection, my dreidel collection, and our photo collections – we may have to move to find room for all these collections! Another side-note, Mitch does not call his Yooper Rock a collection; he does not have enough rocks……YET!

I loved the heart rock, which made it a more significant gift to my new acquaintance Cathy. Our orange Yooper Rock,  prominently displayed on the wall of our RV, will remind us of our time in the UP when we met Cathy and Larry.

What is your Love Language?

Buffalo Bills and The Gift of Life

ONE MORE THING – Speaking of Love Language – The outpour of love, concern, and Hope for Demar Hamlin truly shows the power of not just our Bill’s Mafia Community but the entire nation. Prayers for Demar’s continued recovery and all the incredible people who saved his life. And, of course – GO BILLS!