reflection
reflection
Each week, I choose one word that captures something I’ve been learning, feeling, or noticing in my everyday life as a mom.
These One Word Wednesday reflections are my way of slowing down- giving thoughts room to stretch and breathe- especially in a season when love is everywhere but often defined very narrowly.
This week’s word is:
AFFECTION
Webster’s defines affection as:
“a gentle feeling of fondness or liking.”
And that word gentle stands out to me.
Valentine’s Day tends to spotlight love in its loudest forms- grand gestures, big emotions, bold declarations.
But affection lives somewhere quieter.
Affection is not the performance of love.
It’s the presence of it.
As a stay-at-home mom, affection shows up in ways that don’t always get noticed.
reflection
It’s the hand on a shoulder as you pass by.
The extra blanket tucked in without being asked.
The way you remember how someone likes their toast.
Affection is steady.
Unassuming.
Often invisible.
And because it’s so woven into the everyday, it’s easy to overlook.
We give affection constantly- through care, attention, patience, and small acts of noticing- but we don’t always name it for what it is.
Love doesn’t always look like romance.
Sometimes it looks like reliability.
Sometimes affection is:
Sitting nearby without talking.
Making room for someone else’s mood.
Choosing softness when it would be easier to rush.
Affection doesn’t demand energy the way excitement does.
It doesn’t require perfection or planning.
It simply asks us to stay connected.
And here’s the part I keep coming back to this week:
Affection isn’t only something we offer outward.
So many of us are generous with affection toward our families, but hesitant to extend it to ourselves.
We push.
We criticize.
We minimize our own needs.
But affection toward yourself might look like:
Speaking kindly when you’re frustrated.
Letting yourself rest without justification.
Allowing comfort without guilt.
Affection says, “You’re allowed to be cared for, too.”
It doesn’t rush.
It doesn’t pressure.
It doesn’t keep score.
It just stays.
So, this Valentine’s week, instead of asking how love should look, maybe the gentler question is:
Where is affection already present?
In your home.
In your routines.
In the way you show up- quietly, consistently, and with heart.
If this word resonated with you, take a moment to notice one place affection showed up this week- given or received.
Sometimes naming it is enough to feel it more deeply.
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