Friday, January 7, 2011

Doing Something Special



 Before Christmas I was focusing on doing something special for my hubby each day.  When I began I had my plan all laid out.  Day 1 I would do this, Day 2 I would do that, etc.  Each day I  would complete my "task",  check it off my list and move on with my day.  Then, one morning, I woke up and realized that I didn't have anything special on my list for hubby and I didn't want to just repeat what I had recently done.  That was the day I quit thinking and planning (a good thing in this case) and began listening.

Because I didn't have my plan and I still wanted to do something special for hubby I really began to listen to what he was saying and asking myself, "how can I help him?"  And, as I started to listen I found plenty of opportunities to do special things for him.  Taking a couple of minutes to sweep up the basement while he was trying to finish it up, making him a honey-lemon tea when he mentioned his throat was a little scratchy, making a fresh cake so it was still warm when he got home from work at 9 pm, and the list goes on and on.
As I began to listen I didn't stop after one thing in a day.  It became my own challenge to myself to see what else I could find as I listened - my own personal treasure hunt.


As I watched and listened I began to appreciate hubby so much more.  Instead of taking for granted the things he does I became more aware of all the little things he does for me and the family and I began to value him more.  So, what began as doing something nice for hubby so he'd appreciate me more became an eye-opener for me and changed my attitude toward him. 


"The best portion of a good man's life - his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."
~William Woodsworth~

7 comments:

  1. Oh Alana, this was very convicting to me today!

    Listening is not something I am good at. I want to be heard but it also means letting others hear also.

    I am going to begin to apply this Alana, to my life...May Our Lord bless our efforts.

    Maria.

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  2. What a wonderful post Alana! I'm guilty of not always listening to my husband's needs...though I expect him to listen to mine. Thank you for this gentle reminder to appreciate our husbands more. I am so thankful for mine! And I will start listening more.

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  3. Dear Alana,
    This is such a sweet post...and the gentle reminder that we all need every now and then.

    Have a blessed evening!
    Laura

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  4. Alana-
    What a wonderful wife you are. Your heart and your head are so kind and inspiring!

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  5. Dear Alana...thank you for the sweet reminder and for sharing about the "listening" instead of always "talking"...which seems to be an area that I truly need to work on! My husband is such a sweetheart...always listening when I am talking...but I am going to try to be the one who listens for a change. Alana...thank you for visiting my "little space"...always enjoy your visits! Hugs ♥ Teri

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  6. A great post! Being a 'good' listener is such a valuable skill! The people I find myself most drawn to are those who take the time to 'really' listen to what I have to say!

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  7. This is really good food for thought. I've also noticed the same thing as you - when you're looking for ways to show your appreciation for your husband you seem to start appreciating him more.

    Elisabeth

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