Day 10

Well I'm a third of the way through the challenge...and I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of it. I love showing my appreciation to my husband (and like the inspiration for new ways to do it!). Here's the text for day ten:

"Behold you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant!..." Song of Solomon 1:16a

We all crave appreciation. We want to know that we are valued and loved. Early love letters probably reflected our admiration, but if we're not careful, our spouse will forget why we were drawn to him. If you still have any of your old love letters, re-read them for clues to deepen your current level of appreciation for your spouse. When we spend time criticizing our husbands, we lose time that could be spent admiring them. As you consider various ways to encourage your husband, ask, "How can I admire him?"

Does your husband know that you think he is attractive? What was one of the characteristics in your husband that first drew you to him? Was it a physical characteristic, or something else? Was it his gentle, compassionate eyes? Kindness or concern for others? An easy-going confidence? A steadiness that comes from trusting in the Lord? Strength of character in a culture that lacks integrity? Do you see at least a glimpse of that characteristic in him today? Whatever it is, tell him!

There are so many things about my husband that attracted me to him (and still do). I could make a list that goes on and on...but I don't have all day to type this and it would get so long no one would ever have time to read it...so I'll just focus on one for now.

Certainly one of them is that he's a true gentleman in a world with very few left. He's so kind, considerate and polite in dealing with other people...and I admire that. I recall one of our early weekend trips away when we had boarded our flight, settled into our seats, buckled up and he'd begun flipping through the 'Sky Mall' catalog from the plane when a young woman in the aisle was struggling to get her bag into the overhead compartment. The man standing behind her looking irritated by her delaying him offered nothing other than a scowl but my hubby quickly put down the catalog, unbuckled his seat belt and got up to help her get the bag stowed away before sitting back down and going back to the catalog. He thought absolutely nothing of that...it was just a natural reaction to him...to me, it was a sign that I'd found one of the few 'real men' left out there in today's world. He does so many of those 'little things' all the time, and I like that he sets that example for my son.