Gorgeous video! I felt the calm loving vibes.
Thank you 
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My Weekly Challenge entry:
I met my husband online, 15 years ago, in a chat room. The conversation going on in the chat room was superficial and mundane and my evil side came out a bit and I started making snide comments that seemed to go over the heads of the people in the room (I know, not very nice…I’ve matured a bit since then).
A man in the room private messaged me with the following “You’re pretty funny”. He was an indigenous New Zealand Māori who spoke 5 languages, played professional rugby, was a divorced dad of 2 teenage girls and was believe it or not, quite the feminist. We hit it off immediately and spent the next 6 months chatting daily via Skype getting to know one another. We fell in love without ever having met…without ever physically touching one another. I often liken this time to centuries back when chaste lovers fell in love through letters. We met in one sense through modern technology, but grew our relationship through conversation and time before we were intimate. Rather old fashioned really and it was lovely.
I moved to New Zealand and stayed for 3 years. I came to love his family too. Intelligent, warm, accomplished (published authors and artists of note in New Zealand), and loving and accepting of me, the crass American. My visa was up after 3 years and I had to return to the U.S. My darling man couldn’t come with me as he couldn’t bear to leave his young teenage daughters. He is a very dedicated father. So, for the next 4 years, he and I maintained a very long distance relationship. He would travel to the U.S. for 3 months out of every year during those 4 years…always returning to his home country to look after his girls. It was always bittersweet the day he’d have to return as we knew we wouldn’t see each other for another 9 months.
On the 4th year…on the day he was due to leave for home, I had packed his bags and checked him in for his flight. We stopped on the way to the airport for lunch…sad and somber. I said to him “I wish we could just turn around and go home”. He replied “Well, you know what we have to do in order for that to happen don’t you my darling? We’d have to get married. So shall we?”. I said “Let’s go!”. We left the restaurant and headed to City Hall and married on the spot. He contacted his family to tell them and they enthusiastically supported us getting married and him staying on with me in America.
It’s been 15 years, him suffering a heart attack 4 years ago, then a very serious aortic dissection 2 years ago, the birth of our first grandchild a little more than a year ago with my darling husband gone for all of last year to New Zealand to help take care of our little sweet Xander as he was born with a large brain tumor and has had to undergo 4 brain surgeries in his first year of life (he’s ok now).
No chance of my going as New Zealand borders closed to all but citizens.
Through all of this, my husband and I remain rock steady. I adore him and he adores me.
We booked our first vacation we’ve ever had just yesterday. Headed to an all inclusive in the Bahamas in April. I reckon we deserve it.
Unconventional entry for the weekly challenge perhaps, but coven sisters/brothers…this is what love looks like for me. It transcends time and oceans.
Happy Valentines Day to everyone here 
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After staring at the contents of my finished hibiscus tea, I could see what appeared to be a stag deer 
and a doe. The doe could be me… gentle, quiet, and shy, especially when it comes to romance. When I could make out the stag, I thought of the Great Prince of the Forest from Bambi… quiet, but wise, brave, and protective. Maybe some man with the qualities of a stag will come my way this year?
In addition to my tasseography, I made a love sachet, filling it with dried rose petals and rose quartz, and said,
Aphrodite, I call to you,
Descend upon the wings of a dove
to bless this sachet with your love,
Fill my heart with sweetness,
With everything that is bright and beautiful
May my passions never waver,
and may I savor every moment
For time has the fleetness of the wings
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My husband and I met the same way – through an AOL chat room. We spoke for over a year on the internet getting to know each other and never being physically intimate during that time.
He lived in Florida and I lived in NH – I was divorced, and a single mother of 3 boys ages 8, 6, and 3!
He wanted to come visit us one day and I agreed that it was time. He packed one single bag, hopped on a plane to NH and never left…we’ve been together for 22 years and will be married for 16 years on June 3 2022.
He is the love of my life and I his. This too is what true love looks like to me. Soulmates at the core.
For our anniversary least year he took me to a botanical garden in Maine.
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I’m going to plan a self-love ritual today
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Trigger Warning - Narcissist
This will be my first Valentine’s Day in 15 years that Mitch is not a part of my life. This this the first time that i won’t be spoiling him with presents and trying to make him happy. He was my first and only boyfriend. Not that Mitch ever got me anything. Ever. I spoiled him rotten though. But I just wanted his time not him to spend money on me. So I never complained.
Not going to lie. The in the lead up up tomorrow I have been struggling. I am struggling with the concept of self-love and self care.
Mum needs quite a bit of help post surgery, so I’m finding I’m so busy and still working 12 hours shifts 5 days a week… but my brain still finds the time to over think. He just won’t get out of my head.
Why does this little voice come out of nowhere like some evil Jiminy Cricket. And says it was because you weren’t good enough. She is better. What is wrong about me that he didn’t choose me.
The thing is if he had his way he would have still been doing exactly what he was doing. Finding out that the person you loved more than anyone on this earth was ultimately just using you for your money rocks you to the core. He wss left me feeling so lost and without any purpose. I know my healing lies solely with me, myself and onesies.
I chose to end all contact with him after I found out that he was cheating. Again.
Ultimately he chose someone he was seeing for 9 months over me of 15 years. He did try the “we can still be friends” card. He was a using, lying, selfish, narcissistic piece of 
.
But I loved him with every fibre of my soul. My world revolved around him and he knew it. He knew exatly how to manipulate me into getting as much money as he could out of me. I loved Mitch more than I loved myself. Unfortunately this little piece of me that loves him just does not want to die.
So in an attempt at this self care malarkey I left mum home alone for a few hours and took myself out to Fremantle. It’s about half an hour away from home. There was a little crystal shop that I have been dying to check out and I really wanted to go back to an apothecary that I found where they make 4-Thieves oil. And I really wanted to go to the markets. So I had a plan. Fremantle is our port city here in Perth. It was really nice to travel over the ocean on the train.
So I took myself off an adventure on the train all by myself. Which is a pretty big deal for me cause I can get social anxiety at times. I’m so pleased I did. I spent a little bit of money on myself. Which I am still getting used to after years of handing money over to Mitch every week. It felt so good supporting local small businesses. The people that I met in these stores were all so genuinely kind and made me feel so welcome. I felt like a welcomed and blessed little witch.
Anyways here’s some of my treasures from my solo adventure…
I got some enamel pins and a keyring for my backpack. I would like to consider myself an ally so I was really fond of those and well the others are self-explanatory haha.
I fell in love with a sand-agate candle. I thought that would be a nice way to remember my trip to the port city.
I found some new treasures for my cabinet of natural curiosities.
I got some essential oil blends to help my little hamster wheel mind.
And finally of course i came back with a couple of crystals to help with my sense of self-worth and help with my self-care. Rhodonite and Lepidolite.
The lovely gentlemen in the crystal shop that I went to saw what I was buying. He must have known. His words to me were… “my little darling. He lost his diamond while playing with worthless stones. Shine bright little one. You should have never been hidden in his darkness.”
If we weren’t in covid-y times I would have given him the biggest hug. I had silent little tears on the train ride home.
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Awh, I love your story @SilverBear! And look how much we have in common! So cool!
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I did the Self Love & Appreciation Break
I lit a pink candle for self love. Then I did the meditation. That was really nice 
then I journaled and wrote beautiful self love affirmations, such as “I am grateful for how I feel about my beautiful body” and “I am blessed with a high vibration and raise the vibes of others”. And I ended the night with a cup of Sleepy Time tea because that, to me, is love!!
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Woo hoo for some self love stones!!! 
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What a precious little man!!! Happy Valentine’s!!
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Your altar arrangement is really beautiful. How very cool that it had that sweet impact on you and also how it appeared to manifest magically in your life 
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I am SWOONING over the tender and sweet love stories of @Garnet @SilverBear and @Satu_TheGreenWitch so thankful to you for sharing your wonderful stories 
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@jessica72 Ever since you came on this forum, I have been inspired by your resilience, openness, positive attitude and commitment to learning about the craft and just how darn creative you are in these challenges! Reading them, I’m just, like, wow I aspire to that level of connection with my magic. Could it be that that guy picked up on your innate magic? But holy cow, how did he know? All I can think is maybe you have a lot of good energy and somehow your story emanates, maybe, to good people. He’s right, you deserve and are overdue for good things and I hope this Valentine’s Day turns out to be a feast of self-love for you
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Oh what you two have been through! To have your strength…your story is beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks @stephanieanne76…I’m glad you liked my story. Yes, there have been some things to overcome and some unexpected trials but I guess that’s true for any relationship. We’ve had our fair share to be true, but we ARE strong as you point out and we believe in sticking together through anything.
I am, however, REALLY looking forward to our vacation 
Happy Valentines Day to you!
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Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well @Satu_TheGreenWitch! I hope your vacation is everything you could ever dream of! 
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When Richard and I met, his mom was in the hospital and she was determined that I needed to get married. I’d just left a really bad marriage and wasn’t going to do that again. Happily ever after, was a lie. Thanks, but no thanks.
Her whole family was there, 5 sons and 2 daughters. I was over whelmed by the funny, exciting family she had. That’s when she introduced me to Rich. He was a tall, slender and handsome man, a sailor, in uniform. Damnit, to this day, I swear it was the uniform.
I stopped to visit her when she went home to see how she was and HE was sitting in a rocker in the corner of the room, looking all handsome and smug… I couldn’t help myself!
“Are you Richard?” I asked. He nodded and answer.
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Do you want to get married today or Friday?”
I’ve never seen a man explode out of a chair so fast and his escape was a thing of beauty. Everybody laughed, except Rich. Gosh, the devil must have made me do it.
Lord have mercy, he took me seriously!. I’d spent the night and I promise, that was the only time I was naughty! When we ah…um…woke up from our pre-honeymoon, like it or not, love was in the air.
That’s when he informed me that we were getting married. I left the house at a run & I escaped, as fast as my Van could take me.
To make a long story short, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. [Sigh!]
We eloped to N.C. and were married. We knew each other(To see each other every day.) 7 days. That was 47 years ago.
Life isn’t perfect, we’ve had our ups and downs, But guess what? He was everything I ever wanted and more. He’s the love of my life and my happily ever after.
I am still able to see the delightful boy I married in the wonderful man he has become. I have absolutely no regrets, I’d do it all again.
I wish this kind of happiness to you all.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Garnet
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@Christina, you inspired me today to do the self-love and appreciation break, too also to get out my crystals. I KNEW my love altar was missing something I thought what would Christina say??? LOL so now there is rose quartz there. I wrote some of the affirmations on hearts I cut out from red, pink and white paper and taped them over my altar and I added some, too, e.g., “I am a good and caring sister.” Just looking at those words, I feel like I have risen to a new level. Thank you for inspiring me today
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Love it!
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Wow! You really put your “heart” in this project. I just couldn’t help myself. I found a few stones that I’m not really familiar with that are now calling to me.
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