by Genarita Grobarek
Feb. 11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Last year around this time, I made the decision to do something special for my husband for the seven days leading up to Saint Valentine’s Day. This was hard to do. Not only did we have two needy boys under the age of 2 to take care of, but with all the stresses of life, we were going through one of those marital rocky periods. You know, the ones we all have, but hate to admit we do? One of my biggest complaints at the time was that I was not getting enough affection from the husband department.
Fast forward seven days, about that many late nights crafting and attempting to be creative on a budget, and seven small projects later:
My dear husband, not really having had too much to say during the seven days, told me on Valentine's Day that seeing me pour all the love and effort into those little things I did for him each day that week made him want to open up and do more for me in return. He mentioned that after that week, he was going to really have to think hard about what to do, because clearly he had to put comparable effort into it.
A year later, we are back on track in a much more loving and happy place in our marriage. I am very content looking back on last year; my husband went from being distant and preoccupied with day-to-day tasks to taking the time to tell me in his own way that he loves me, every single day. Added bonus: during the tail end of that rocky period, he listened to what my requests were, went the extra mile, and made sure that I was getting everything on the list.
In retrospect, it did take a long time to get there, and I had to graciously grant him that time, but we are there now, which is all that matters! During these rocky marital periods, it is easy to complain about what we are not getting and really hard to see what we are not giving. So, my fellow Wives, love your husbands (although sometimes it is hard to make the first move or to take the first step) and do for them what they need, because if we make that effort, they will give it back to us ten-fold.
Genarita is a stay-at-home mom of two boys under four, with a third--a little girl!--on the way. She and her family homestead in Alaska.
Excellent exhortation! I'd love to know what the 7 gifts were. The 2 last photos look the same, so I don't know if they were 2 different gifts or what. Also, there are only 6 photos. Some of us need help in the creativity department!
ReplyDeleteShe seemed to want to foucs the topic on the good her projects did for her marriage rather than the projects themselves. I know they were these printables that she framed and had hanging up for him when he wok in the morning. A deck of cards with the "52 Things I Love About You" glued to them. Hand-sewn hearts hidden in unexpected places. And I'm not sure what the jar was for. . . maybe it had candy in it? I'll have to ask her!
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