Marriage Mondays ~ So glad to be with you!

Does it ever cross your mind to think of what life would be like without your spouse? What if your time together was over? If we're honest, most of us would admit we've tried to imagine it, but we usually convince ourselves we have many more days together and nothing to worry about... then we tend to fall back into our old habit of taking our man for granted. As gals who follow God, we really don't have to "worry," because our times are in His hands, and He knows the number of our days.

Do I sound like I'm encouraging myself here? I am. :) Having your husband gone for an extended time (translation: can't WAIT to have him home!!!) is a privilege ... because it gives you the chance to think about what you love, miss, & appreciate about him. It also gives you the chance to welcome him home (woo hoo!) in a bigger way than just "at the end of a long day at the office" way. What would YOU do to get ready to welcome your hubby home, to let him know you really cherish him and are so glad for more time together? Don't wait til he goes away for a long time to not take him for granted. Well, I'll share my list of practical things with you to give you some ideas.

Things to do before Jeff gets home ...

• Pray for his peace and safety (never take this for granted)
• Have my quiet time and walk in the Spirit (he does NOT want to be welcomed by my flesh)
• Grocery shop ... the hot dogs & PBJ will be gone before he gets here. :) Good thing!
• Clean the bathroom and put clean towels out (the hot shower will be enough for him)
• Dust and vacuum the bedroom (no, I didn't clean much while he was gone... I admit it)
• Change the sheets on the bed (popcorn in the bed from the kids hanging out w/me)
• Mow the grass (if it stops raining ... if not, we'll make hay ;)
• Go through the mail again and eliminate more junk (pay the bill I left in there)
• Care for the the kids, so home is a haven and not crazy (they'll want to pounce on him)
• Put some hemorrhoid cream under my eyes to deal with the bags from not sleeping well ;)
• Take that gift card for the mall & buy something pretty (instead of the sweat pants)
  
• Take a few minutes to be honest about my expectations and then lay them aside :)
  

Now your husband may not have been gone for a while, but you can still take a few minutes right now to write down what you love about your guy, what you would miss about him, and what you appreciate about him. Then make your own list of what would show your guy you're really glad for more time together. ;) Check out Exemplify Online's Marriage Channel for a wide variety of resources and helps for making our marriages better.

I'm praying today for each one who reads Marriage Mondays. I pray God will give you a fresh appreciation for your mate and new insight for how to show him you're glad to live life together!

If you write a post encouraging others with God's perspective on marriage, feel free to join the Mcklinky below, mentioning this host site and linking to Marriage Mondays so readers can find more encouragement.