Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net |
Hubby and I belong to a couples’ group and one of the recent icebreaker questions we had to answer was, “On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how would you rate your marriage?” Each spouse had to answer the question and thankfully hubby answered first (haha). I actually don’t remember the number he said, but it was something “safe” like a 7 or 8. My answer was probably “safer”; I said, “It varies, sometimes it’s a 7 or 8, sometimes it’s a 2, but I married a 10.” Good answer, huh? 🙂
I’m not trying to be cheesy, but I feel very blessed to have married my hubby. I know he puts me (and the kids) first and even my mom comments on how well he treats me (that’s a definite compliment!). He has been my number one supporter, giving me the okay to quit my full-time job so I could go to school full time to finish my degree faster. It meant he had to work harder to make sure we could be financially secure, but he never complained. He has been there supporting me throughout the births of two kids and the aftermath of crazy, sleepless nights and even encouraged me in breastfeeding (he jokes that he was my lactation consultant). 😛 He has supported me in being a stay at home mom, which means listening to my emotional rants and working even harder to provide for us. He has seen the worst parts of me, yet still treasures me enough to have sold his prized camera to buy me diamond earrings for our anniversary. I truly did marry a 10.
I’m thankful that we got married when we were fairly young and were able to do some growing up together. There’s a quote I read from a book that says many of the wounds we have were caused by people and yet ironically (and appropriately so), it’s also people who help heal our wounds. God has definitely used my hubby to help in my personal growth and healing. I don’t know where I’d be without him. Well, I’d likely be a prickly (think porcupine) and unhappy person. Instead, I am a more confident, happy and whole person today.
I try to remind myself each day to be a “10” for him and to do my part in making our relationship the best it can be. Even on those “2” days when we barely talk (asking “Are you coming home yet?” doesn’t really count as quality conversation) and I am exhausted from dealing with the kids’ tantrums, I make the effort to smile when hubby comes home (haha). Believe me, it would be a lot easier to just hand off the kids and run out the door (for retail therapy!), but it means a lot more to stay and connect with him. I know that if we commit to making our marriage a top priority throughout all of life’s ups and downs, we can someday reach that ultimate score of “10”. Well, we could at least get a “10” for effort. 🙂
This song by Colbie Caillat is a good reminder of why I ought to treat hubby better than anything I’ve ever had… cause his love has brightened my life – “Brighter Than the Sun“. 🙂
Who has brightened your life?