I Love You, in English

He said, "I love you," before we'd ever kissed! True, his native language is Spanish, but that knowledge did very little to calm the internal panic that built to near-destructive (for our relationship, at least) proportions over the course of the next 24 hours! Thoughts racing too fast to grab hold of, I wondered about the power of romantic vocabulary and how just one or two ill-timed phrases had my heart beating with anxiety rather and my eyes darting to and fro, seeking an escape.

Lucky for me, I'm a writer. When I couldn't think or talk my way out of my panic, I opened up a journal and grabbed hold of my "best handwriting" pen. As I composed my message to the man I'd just committed my heart to, I found myself defining love for him -- and me. At that point, it was necessary to tell him what I understood when he uttered those three little words, and how that understanding changed with regard to their Spanish counterparts. When I finally said to him, "I love you . . . in English," he knew exactly what I meant.

16 months later, we're happily ensconced in our engagement! As we explore and embrace the opportunities that await us, I find myself going back to that first conversation about love. What does it mean? Where has it brought us? Where will it take us? Not every answer is clear, but one thing is certain. I love him, in English, and in every other language there is.