My sister felt that it would be a good idea to have a date night for my parents. Clearly, I wasn’t on board but she ran the plan by me and I was like, ok whatever. What I didn’t realize was the impact that this night would have on my parents.

So the day comes, around 5 o’clock I decide I’m starving so I’m going to make dinner. My sister calls and she’s like “what are you doing?” and I respond that I’m making dinner. Around 6 o’clock she comes down the stairs and tells my parents “ok get ready, date night is happening”. Dinner is done by that time, I made spaghetti with hot dogs and mixed vegetables. My sister goes to prepare a beautiful salad, plus a small fruit salad. We set the table, she folds the paper napkins nicely, we get the wine, the water pitcher the works.

My dad is upstairs getting ready, shaving and getting all decked out in a suit – no tie. My mom puts on this shimmery dress, lets her hair down and finished off with cute red flats.

My sister sets the mood by playing some R&B on tv. My dad comes down the stairs, my mom is standing in the dinning room entrance and he walks to her. He takes her hand and leads her to the table. I pour water and wine (with my shaky hands), we serve the salad.

They’re happy, they’re grateful and while prepping all because I was hungry I didn’t think. I couldn’t imagine what this night would mean for them.

After the salad, they get the spaghetti and then my mom proceeds to tell us the story on how they met. As the evening wines down, we clear out the table and lead them to the final portion of the night. A movie with sliced apples, yes sliced green apples. We streamed “Isn’t it Romantic” and left them to finish the night.

What to me, seemed like a small nothing turned out to be something that elevated my parents relationship. You could see it in their eyes, you could feel it in their mannerism. It was love, it was beautiful.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that, to remember that small things can have major impact. So video stream a date night, sit on your deck or patio and just stare at the sky together, watch Netflix while video chatting, read a book to each other and have a discussion. During these times, it’s the little moments, it’s the effort that goes a long way.