Thank you, Honey!

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

This week, among many others, my husband has been my best personal example of this "leadership style". I could bore you w/ "woe is me details" - but instead I'll skip to the part about how despite all I do, I think his role in our endeavor to train up our children in the way they should go is more demanding - & perhaps more effective - b/c of how he goes about fulfilling "his part" in personal & practical ways. I wouldn't even want to attempt so much of what I do if I didn't have my husband's reliable support in word and deed.

While I tend to be more "up front" in various leadership roles, my husband more often is faithfully serving behind the scenes in ways that often go unnoticed. He spends aprx 12 hrs a day commuting & holding down a demanding job, drives a "nothing-special/very economical car by his choice, & I can't think of a time when he was ever too busy for us. He's a continual encouragement (a daunting task b/c it's me he's encouraging & I tend to require a lot of it!) He prays for & w/ me, listens as I "vent" frustrations & gives me advice. Truth be told, he does more than "his share of my share"- which frees up time for us to attempt to reach beyond ourselves to serve others. When our schedule doesn't run like clockwork & to do lists grow, he's rarely rattled. His philosophy: "you can do most anything yourself cheaper than you can hire someone to do it" - which adds to his workload! I honestly don't know how he does "it all" - & can't imagine doing what I do, without him!

While "up front" is one of my husband's least favorite places to be, I really admire his confident, "uncomplicated", stable faith & appreciate more & more how very blessed I am to be the beneficiary of his servant's heart & therefore also of his beautiful example of faithful leadership & provision.

I suppose I could've rented a billboard -- or shouted it from our rooftop -- but I guess I decided to share this here - simply to say "Thank you, Honey!!" - in a way that others will "overhear" - & hopefully be encouraged to say the same to their honey -- or others who lead/serve them in this selfless way -- b/c sometimes even a simple "thank you" shared in heartfelt appreciation can make a world of difference..... and it's toward the hope of that end that I share so much of what I do... here.

Carpe Diem!

The alarm clock & the phone ringing are actually among a few simple pleasures (blessings!) I look forward to early on weekday mornings:

The alarm clock - b/c it's set to go off early enough that hubby & I can spend some time together before he goes to work.

A hot cuppa delivered like clockwork next to the bathroom sink as hubby leaves for work ...The delivery guy is too cute(!) & he accepts (prefers?!) kisses as tips :)

The phone ringing! The earlier the better!... b/c it means hubby made it safe & sound to work after a long commute...

...and I'm thankful that today is off to a great start! :)