Complimentary, my dear Watson

Do you take time to compliment your spouse?  And, I'm not talking in the gushing flattery kind of way where it sounds fake either. 

For instance, our elderly neighbor often asks Seth to come and help her fix things or move boxes in (and sometimes if Seth is walking in and notices that she needs help, he just does it).  Don't get me wrong, I help her out as well when she needs it (if I can. I stink at fixing things) and take her little baked goods now and then, but Seth is stronger and better at fixing things (and he is home more than I am), so he usually does the big tasks.  Last night she knocked on our door and asked if Seth could fix her VCR, so he went over and did it.  Later that evening as we were both puttering around, I stopped and hugged him from behind, kissed him on the back of his shoulder and said, "I love how kind you are."

Or, sometimes Seth will look at me and just out-of-the-blue say, "You are so beautiful on the inside and outside."  He melts my heart, let me tell ya!

Words are so important in any relationship, but they are especially important in a marriage (even if your spouse's love language is not words of affirmation).  We all know that words can build and words can tear down.  Let's find some way to compliment our spouses today!  And give it a little more umph than, "I love how you finally cleaned up the kitchen today."

Grin.