So this.

The hubs and I have had this stitched heart forever it seems. Given to us by a dear friend, I'm guessing 20 years ago because we are pushing the big 25 celebration in May.

The idea behind the heart is to take turns hiding it for one another so the one who finds it feels the love of the other when least expected. What a joy these surprises have been over the years--especially when our three kids were still roaming around and keeping us busy and distracted.

Even as empty nesters with an entire home to ourselves and plenty of time to "snuggle", we still hide the heart for each other on a regular basis. And this morning was one of my favorite surprises when I opened my laptop to start writing and found this.

Some of our hiding places include: coffee mugs, dresser drawers, steering wheel columns, packed suitcases (found when out of town), medicine bottles, underneath pillows, coat pockets, briefcases, shaving kits, car visors, ipad covers, taped to mirrors, and so on.

We did lose the heart a few times over the past couple decades--mostly because our memory stinks and we forget where we hid the thing. But, eventually the heart always shows up.

The saying on the back is, "You are not alone." I can't tell you how many times the hubs or I have been in an off place only to find the heart and read this message. The comfort of knowing the other person recognized the emotional ache but also took the time to hide the heart as a means of encouragement is priceless.

In the end, this little token and playful game is a way for us to remain connected at an emotional level even when life gets in the way. And staying connected heart-to-heart is everything when it comes to romance keeping its sizzle.