Yesterday was just such a day.
I always make myself wait until lunch time to read them, but yesterday, I yanked it out of the lunchbox when I opened it to get out my breakfast, and I read it on the spot.
Thank you for all you do to take care of us. I appreciate that you always plan our menus, make them healthy, make most of our food, and take care of the details around our house. I love you very much and don't take you for granted. Thank you for being the wife I need. Have a great day!
Love,
Ryan
Lest you think we're that 50's couple, let me say that I thrive on all things house-wife-y. I adore planning our meals and cooking them and decorating our home. Those are the very things I always wanted to do in a marriage, and while most guys probably wouldn't complain to enjoy them, I appreciate having a guy who takes time out to SAY he enjoys them.
A note like this isn't unusual for him. He tells me often that he appreciates my hard work - whatever it may be. He notices the details and thanks me for them. And I do the same right back to him. I appreciate the way he keeps my car full of gas {risking life and limb last night to beat the price hike at the ONE station still down in our town}, all the work he does to do the things around our house that I'm NOT great at...like all the yard work, and the way he takes care of details I just don't think to address.
As I stood in the kitchen at the station, a little teary-eyed from my note, thinking about the beauty of KNOWING you're appreciated, I felt a nudge to be a better encourager to others.
I'm great about reminding Ryan that he's loved and appreciated, but I don't take nearly the time to remind everyone ELSE around me of the same thing.
...I appreciate the way Lynne graciously trimmed and rearranged the fresh flowers in the vase on my desk to surprise me when I came in to work today. Given that I have zero florist skills, that was a sweet gesture that brightened my day AND my desk.
...I appreciate our worship leader at church who has the gargantuan task of choosing music {and you KNOW how impossible it is to please hundreds of folks at once} and lead a group and sing for three services in a row every Sunday.
...I appreciate our mail carrier, who trudged through some UNRULY snows and treacherous ice this winter to bring our mail every single day.
...I appreciate the barista at Starbucks who has taken time to not only make fabulous coffee for us, but to get to know us. Is it weird that being known as something more than a nonfat white chocolate mocha with two shots of raspberry is really exciting?
...you get the idea.
Who do you appreciate? What if you stopped appreciating them in your head and said the words out loud? What if you recognized what they do and told them how much it meant to you?
What if?
7 comments:
Love this so much. And it's sooo true!
Thanks for this great reminder! The world would certainly be a better place if more people expressed thanks and appreciation to each other!
I think we should look for opportunities to tell tell others that what they do is important, valuable and appreciated.
It is not done very much that I can tell. I know it can have a big impact if you do. It means a lot to me when someone says something like that to me.
Leslie - :) You guys are good at this too!!
Shari - AGREED!! :)
Mark - Isn't it amazing how something so little does something so big?
LOVE THIS SO MUCH. yes yes a million times yes and you are so good at it! what a blessing you are to me friend, even tho we never actually SEE each other, your love of life, Jesus, Ryan, and fun never fail to encourage me! I love words, they are indeed my love language (and my sweet hubby is not a man of words, he is a quality time guy) but we have found our perfect combo that works for us.
Happy Wednesday, Bekah!
XOXO
Polly - thank you for always being an encourager to ME!! I appreciate you more than you know!! :) Love ya!
I appreciate all your blog posts on marriage and how you and Ryan make it work. You are such a wonderful example to all of us.
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