I read an article recently about a collector who purchased a Corvette stingray..you know, Chevy’s premier sports car back in 1989. While that’s interesting, the rest of the story is even more fascinating. This collector placed all these prized possessions in a storage facility and forgot about them. Now, almost 35 years later, many of these former gems are almost worthless due to the neglect covered by inches of dirt, grime and dry rot. As I amused over the cost of this man’s neglect, it struck me how many of us got married years ago…We’ve acquired our prized possession and then we’ve placed him or her “into storage”, only to find out now that our spouses are feeling unappreciated, neglected, uncared for, and possibly worthless. Whether we’re married for a month, year or decades, we all take our spouses for granted. That new car care we displayed to one another has worn off.
So as we come into this Thanksgiving season, let’s see if we can dust off our thankful hearts for our prized partners and make them feel loved and cared for again. Here’s what I’m going to ask all of us to do…yeah, even me too…Let’s focus this week on thanking our spouses for the roles they play in our lives. This has to do with their jobs as a spouse. We take for granted that the underwear magically appears in our dresser drawers or that the lawn is manicured or the gas tank is full, or that dinner’s waiting hot and steaming when we get home. This all happens because you have a great helper. Think about the roles of being a parent or grandparent or all they do at work or their role at church. Look for the ways they improve your well-being, your status, and help you enjoy a better life. Be specific, don’t just say, “Hey, thanks for being such a great husband or wife”. Explain to him or her why they are great to you. Maybe something like this…“Thank you for taking such good care of the kids. I love coming home to a fun and happy place after a long day at work.” Your goal, one specific thank you every day this week.
