Day 306 Honoring My Husband's Leadership

Bryan has been in the real estate investment business for 20 years.  During hurricane Irene one of our properties was damaged because a huge tree fell over.  Fortunately the damage to the actual property was minor however the tree expanded beyond property lines on to our neighbors property because it was so large.  This is a property that requires inspection and to pass the inspection we had to ensure all the debris from the tree was removed from the back yard. 

We found workers that do yard work and trash removal.  Bryan instructed me to ensure the guys cleared the lot of the wood as well as the leaves and debris.  When they proceeded to lift the logs they stated they were too heavy.  I explained this to Bryan and he stated if they cannot remove the logs, we don't need them.  To give you perspective, the circumference of the tree trunk was between 90 to 100 inches and they were cut in fairly large pieces.  As the workers were preparing to clean the fallen leaves, Bryan lifted one of the logs and stated if two men could not lift them they were not worth paying.  I realized at this time that my husband and I have a very different levels of compassion when it comes to workers.  So I did as he instructed and explained to them the expectation and wouldn't you know it they got it done with a little help from a few other guys. 

I was reminded of a leadership quote I heard a while ago, "People will rise up to the expectation you create."  I remembered that when there is something on the line, people will rise to the occassion whether they like it or not.  Today I honored my husband's leadership by following through on his request to push and ensure the workers earned their pay for the work we needed completed.  I know if it were not for Bryan it would have cost us a lot more money to complete the same job.  I am always grateful when my husband reminds me of great lessons in leadership.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband's leadership?  Please share your stories with us as we would love to hear and learn from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Day 305 Honoring My Husband With A Proclamation

I cannot believe I have only 60 more days to go in my year of honoring my husband.  It has been quite the journey thus far.  This month  I have been committed to the sole role of being a wife.  My apologies to you all because I just realized I had not sent out or posted my survey for you all to share your perspective on what it means to be a wife.  I will surely follow-up on that in the New Year because I am more curious than ever now.

The month of December is rapidly coming to an end and I have to confess that I am not too crazy about serving in the sole capacity of being a wife.  One of my greatest concerns was the expectation Bryan would have while I served in just this role.  Today I am honoring my husband with a proclamation.  I don't like it very much.  I have spent a good portion of the time getting my house back in order because I let so many things fall by the wayside while I was in school.  I am really happy about that because I like order.  I am honoring my husband with a proclamation because I have so much respect for those who are housewives and love spending the majority of their time taking care of their husband, home and children.  I have come to realize it is a lot of work and I don't even have any children.  I have also realized the expectation about what is possible in a day can be quite unrealistic from one's spouse.   

I know part of it for me is that I have to stay busy and as Bryan so dutifully noted one evening, I am busy because I have chosen to be busy this month.  I have cleaned and organized areas in my home that probably would have never been touched if I was focusing on my work as usual.  I do have to admit that part of the reason why I do not like it very much is because Bryan's schedule did not change so I have spent most of my time alone and missing him.  I believe if he worked a normal schedule which afforded us the opportunity to have dinner together on a regular bases I would have enjoyed it more.  Nonetheless I am proclaiming my excitement for the month of January when I will be focusing on my business as well as home.  I think I will like having the balance a little better.

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with a proclamation?  Is there something you have discovered about yourself or your role that you like or dislike?  How can you honor your husband by proclaiming this new found knowledge on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

Day 304 Honoring My Husband With Today's Prayer

Earthly angels brings joy into our lives.

Yesterday was a challenge for me because several things reminded me of my cousin who just past.  I found myself angry which is not an emotion I typically feel or express.  I usually stay in a place of curiosity, wanting to understand more, wanting to see God's glory in the situation.  I typically stay in a place of peace and allow my joy to guide me.  Yesterday I found myself angry, fighting to find my joy, asking God why and was not too concerned about the good that will come out of the situation.  I found myself snapping at Bryan for something quite small which was a clear indicator to me that I was going through.

Bryan is a HUGE football fan.  Our TV stays tuned to NFL today or ESPN pretty much day and night when he is home.  On last night NFL today showed a story about one of my favorite jazz singers, Wayman Tisdale.  He passed away in 2009 from bone cancer.  I found myself intrigued not only by the story of his music but of his life and more so his character.  They talked about how he used to spread joy wherever he went, how he was always smiling and how so many people loved him the moment they met him.  I immediately thought, that sounds like West.  In that moment of watching Tisdale's story God revealed to me that he was ready, just as West was ready.  He touched all the lives he needed to touch, he changed the atmosphere of everywhere he went, people felt like they were ministered to and touched by an angel in their presence.  Today I am able to seek the glory God will bring as a result of us losing West.  I know it will be grand and I know God will be revealed in a mighty big way.

Today I am honoring my husband with a prayer I came across called Prayer for Today.  I am honoring him with this prayer because it is my prayer as I mourn the loss of my cousin.

Prayer for Today

Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive it, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with today's prayer?  What prayer could soothe your spirit and lift up his and others on this day?  How can you honor your husband with prayer on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Earthly angels are like little peeks of God's heavenly love." RAS

Day 303 Honoring My Husband With Administrative Support

It was such an honor and joy to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our families.  We split the time between  Bryan's family in Maryland and mine in Pennsylvania.  It was a lot of driving but worth every minute. To recuperate we spent the morning relaxing with my nieces and nephews, enjoying movies and eating left overs.  I felt very special the entire trip because Bryan drove both days and topped it off with dinner this evening.  It was like a really nice weekend get away.

While we were in Pennsylvania I agreed to help Bryan with his work because we stayed with my family longer than planned and he had somethings to complete for tomorrow.  Today I supported my husband with administrative support because it was the least I could do to show my appreciation for the extended date weekend and unexpected dinner.  Although Bryan has a degree in computer science he has allowed his technology skills go to the wayside.  So it is often much more efficient for me to support him with Internet research and typing.

Wives of the world how do you honor your husband with administrative support?  What skills do you posses that are of value to your husband?  What things are on his plate that you could accomplish in less than half the time?  I like to think about it as an opportunity to ensure we get more time to spend together when I am able to help him complete his work in a more timely manner.  How can you honor your husband with administrative support on today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Our gifts and talents are not just for our personal gain; they are to be used to support and help others in God's kingdom."

Day 302 Honoring My Husband With Jesus Joy

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope your holiday is filled with lots of love, peace and Jesus joy.

I awoke so excited today about celebrating the birth of Jesus.  I could not wait to get to church to celebrate the birth of the one reason I have peace, joy and life everlasting.  I was surprised myself at how much love I could literally feel in my heart for the appreciation of being chosen and saved by Jesus.  It feels like a true Pentecost moment. Today I honored my husband with Jesus joy because I was and am filled with so much love.

I am honoring him with Jesus joy because when my heart is filled with Jesus joy I feel like my love for him increases exponentially.  The small stuff just does not seem to matter when your heart is filled with the love of the Lord.  Life takes on a different meaning and forgiveness seems to live in the air.   I love that this time of year it seems everyone has just a bit more joy and happiness to share. 

Wives of the world how can you or do your honor your husband with Jesus joy?  As you celebrate the day please remember the reason for the season.  What do you do to share the love of Christ?  Do you demonstrate your love by teaching your children, family and friends the importance of this day.  Let your festivities go beyond giving of gifts and let it include the giving of the love of the Lord.  Tell someone what Jesus has done for you and how he has changed your life.  Remember the greatest gift in life is free; its called salvation.  How can you honor your husband with Jesus joy on today?  Please share your stories with us we would love to hear and learn from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength" Nehemiah 8:10

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." John 3:16

Day 301 Honoring My Husband's Support

This past week has been quite emotionally challenging to say the least and today was a very difficult day for my family.  We had the funeral services for my cousin West who was 27 years old.  He was the kind of person that loved life in a major way.  His smile and presence so filled a room it was impossible not to notice him.  Everyone who met him loved him and he would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.  The evidence of how much he loved and was loved was demonstrated by the overflow of people in attendance at the service.  There were so many people that the Pastor had to stop the viewing to begin the service.  As he heard several family members and friends share about how West loved life, his family and people in general, he decided to stop the services and allow those that were standing outside to have an opportunity for closure by allowing the continuation of the viewing.  He had also gotten notification that the line of people stretched `half a mile around the corner of the church.

We have a very large family and we were overwhelmed by the number of friends that came to show their support and respects during this time.  We were utterly amazed at how the church was filled beyond capacity and that there were close to 100 cars in the processional to the burial grounds. 

I had to travel to New Jersey for the services and was honored that Bryan made it a point to ensure he was their to show his respects and support.  Today I am honoring his support.  He had a commitment he needed to meet yet took the time to drive me to New Jersey, attend the wake service and return home to meet his commitment all within a 12 hour period.  I stayed in New Jersey to spend more time with my family.

I made a conscious choice on yesterday to fore go my posting because all I could do these past couple of days is honor my husband through my mourning.  This evening when I arrived home I believe I was and still am filled with so much emotional energy that I could not sleep and then remembered I needed to complete my post for today.  Today I am honoring my husband's support in the midst of my mourning and the celebration of the life and short time we had with my cousin.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband's support?  How do you honor him when he goes above and beyond the call of duty to support you?  Any time God decides to take one of his children it is a reminder of how little time we really have with our loved ones.  I wonder if we calculated the amount of time we waste getting angry, upset and frustrated with our husband's how much would it equate to over the course of a year.  Would it be 24 hours or 24 days or would it be into the months? I wonder if we took that same time to show love, grace and give space; how much more enjoyable life would be for us all.  Maybe your husband did not drive you across state lines after working all day, but maybe he helped the kids with homework when it was your turn but you were tired, or maybe he did a chore that he normally does not, or maybe he just listened when you needed it most.  Whatever it is, how can you honor his support on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"The support of a spouse are the manifestation of God's footprints." RAS

Day 300 Honoring My Husband's Regression

Yesterday I had an interesting experience.  I got up and went about my routine as normal, did my bible  study, exercised, had breakfast and then proceeded to take a shower and realized the water was not working.  Turns out our well had failed and we had to have it replaced.  This is the second time this year we have had a water failure and ironically it was almost six months ago the last time it happened.  My hope is that this is the last one we will experience for quite a while.

The plumber shared that once it was repaired, although we could take a shower we could not drink or wash clothes other than whites because of the significant amount of chloride he used to flush the well.  It did not dawn on me until today that this also meant I could not use it for cooking which meant I had to throw my menu out the window.  As I pondered on what I could cook that we would both enjoy and required little to no water it dawned on me how Bryan loves beans and franks.  He says it reminds him of his childhood.  Today I honored my husband's regression.

I honored his regression into childhood by cooking one of his favorite and very, very easy meals.  It is not something I enjoy preparing because I love the creative aspect of cooking.  I decided to spice up the beans to give them more flavor and they were a huge hit and quite tasty. 

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband's regression?  We all regress at one point or another for something.  What does your husband regress about?  How can you honor his regression on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

 "The best part about great childhood memories, is that we can relive them in our minds

 any time we choose."  RAS

Day 299 Honoring My Husband's Taste

Today continues to be quite challenging emotionally as our family deals with the loss of my cousin.  When I am feeling stressed I clean.  Today I decided to work on our recreation room.  In the midst of it I decided I wanted to make several changes.  I had forgotten I had agreed that the rec room was Bryan's area to decorate so when I shared with him my plans he reminded me that it was his area.  Today I honored my husband's taste by negotiated with him a compromise for the decor.  Fortunately we were able to come to an agreement and I look forward to the changes. 

Wives of the world how do you honor your husband's tastes? A while ago I shared that one of the ways to honor our husband's is to allow them to have their space in the home.  I had forgotten that this may stretch beyond their chair and office but into other shared spaces.  As I honor Bryan's taste in colors and decor I found myself being creative in working with what I have to create what I hope to be one of our masterpieces.  How can you honor your husband's taste on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"And the two shall become one includes combining each other's taste." RAS 

Day 298 Honoring My Husband Through My Mourning

Today was a very tough day for me and my family.  We experienced the loss of my young cousin.  I was a little surprised at my reaction and level of emotions so all I could muster for this post is simply I am honoring my husband today through my mourning.  I am learning how challenging it can be to honor someone when your heart is heavy with grief.

Wives of the world how do you honor your husband when you are mourning?  Please share your stories, any insight and leanings with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

Day 297 Honoring My Husband With Planning

I have a love relationship with this time of year.  It is my favorite time of year in that I love celebrating the birth of Christ, blessing family members with gifts of love, and the cheerfulness of the season that is spread throughout.  I also love the wonderful displays of Christ in the decorations.  I pay attention to the colors that are used in the displays and I wonder how many people are intentional in their choices.  I wonder how many people know that white lights represents the purity of Christ and red lights represents the blood of Christ and that green lights represents evergreen or eternal life.  Or that
collectively the lights signify hope, happiness and safety and they represent the fact that Jesus is the light of the world in the midst of profound darkness.  I wonder how many people when hanging candy canes know that the story, true or not is believed to be that the three stripes represent the Holy Trinity. 

What I love about this season is that it is the birth of our savior Jesus and intentional or not, many people adorn their homes with the purity, blood and eternal life of Christ.  They fill their homes with the Holy Trinity and top their trees with an angel or some other representation of nativity.  Many people will say God bless you only during this time of year.  Today I am honoring my husband with planning in preparation for the celebration of Christmas. 

As I ponder on all the things I love about Christmas, I am also preparing for our annual holiday party.  Bryan and I began something that has become a tradition in our family and circle of friends.  Today I am honoring him by planning the event and also planning what his role will be to prepare for the engagement.  It has been quite the feast and this year we plan to add other aspects of enjoyment for our guests.  In all my planning there is one thing I do not  have to concern myself with and that is what color lights will I use for decorations.  I love the significance, look and experience of surrounding our home with lights that signify the purity and safety of Christ.  So in my preparation and honoring of  Bryan with planning he always know white lights are at the top of the list.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband with planning?  Is there a ritual you have that in the midst of all that needs to be planned, there are some things you and your family can count on to be constant from year to year? When I take the time to plan out what needs to be done and when it needs to happen; I can always count on Bryan to follow up.  He loves having a heads up and knowing in advance what he needs to be prepared to do.   How can you honor your husband with planning on today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear and learn from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

Day 296 Honoring My Husband's Absence

Today I took part in the celebration of my eldest uncle 75th birthday party.  It was so awesome to see him, his wife and siblings enjoying the festivities.  Bryan was not able to accompany me to the event so all evening members of my family kept asking about him.  Initially my response was simply he could not make it. 

After answering that question several times it dawned on me that there was a level of disappointment by some of my family members that he could not make it.  Bryan has a very good relationship with most of my immediate and extended family.  I could tell my uncle was a little disappointed when I shared with him Bryan could not make it; so I decided to provide a more in depth explanation.  Once I began sharing the reason Bryan could not make it I realized in the moment that I was honoring him in his absence by making others aware of his current challenge.  Today I honored my husband's absence by helping others to understand his current situation.  This allowed folks to realize that he did not simply choose not to come and that it was a more strategic decision to address an important issue.

Wives of the world in what way can you honor your husband's absence?  I later realized that I could have been disappointed and complained to my family why Bryan was not there but instead was able to make lemonade out of lemons.  How can you honor your husband's absence today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

Day 295 Honoring My Husband's Work Ethics

The journey to feeling valued
 for men and woman is to be
 honored by being served.

Today was an exciting day for me because I completed almost all of my Christmas shopping.  Yet it was almost ruined by my extended trip home.  It was a long, fulfilling yet tiring day and I was looking forward to getting home to relax my legs.  Bryan and I chatted and I shared with him that I had forgotten to take out what I had planned to cook for dinner.   He simply stated "It doesn't matter I will grab whatever we have, I'm sure I can throw something together." 

My first thought was that of relief but then I quickly remembered that he had quite an early start this morning and I know it was a very busy day for him.  Having a good dinner to Bryan is just as meaningful to him, as it is for me when he drives me around.  With that in mind I decided I wanted to honor my husband's work ethics by not providing a dinner he would just be okay with but one that he would truly enjoy.  In my quest to accomplish this task I found my directionally challenged self off the path home and ended up adding an additional 30 minutes to my trip. This was with my GPS best friend. Normally when I get off my directional path I consider myself  to be exploring however, this evening I was a little perturbed because I wanted to get home to cook this great meal.

I am one that believes in the power of energy.  I began to think about the negative energy I was carrying and thought I did not want that to be a part of the meal I was planning to prepare.  I decided to choose to change my thoughts which changed how I was feeling and began to enjoy my extended journey.  As I began to enjoy my exploring I realized I was in a path of some very beautiful Christmas decorations, which I love.  My trip turned into an exploration of how the community expressed their celebration of Christ's birth.  When I arrived home and cooked I know it was filled with Jesus joy and good positive energy because that is what I was feeling and what we feel goes into what we do. 

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband's work ethics?  What is something you do that makes him feel special?  Many people say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I think those that believe this is only partially correct.  I believe the path is not his stomach it is the feeling of being honored through the process of being served that they love.  The food is simply the vehicle to the journey.  How can you honor your husband's work ethics today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 

Day 294 Honoring My Husband With Sweet Treats

Today I am grateful that we serve a Lord that is so forgiving and gives us grace and mercy with the big and small things.  Yesterday I was quite busy and did not realize until today that I actually missed publishing my post.  As I sat down to prepare for this days post I was feeling pretty guilty until the Lord spoke.  What I realized was that all though I may miss a consecutive day it does not mean I have lost sight of my journey; it simply means the next day continues the sequence.  I also realized that this actually benefits my husband because the number of days of honoring him will be well beyond 365 because of the few days I have missed.  I am just thanking God for giving me grace.

Today I honored my husband with sweet treats.  I took a trip to Hershey and had the opportunity to shop in their company store.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  Bryan's favorite chocolate bar is Reese's so I stocked up on them for him. I could not believe the variety of Reese's they had in the store and I was sure to buy his favorite and things I did not think he had ever tried. He was quite grateful when I presented them to him.  I was fortunate enough to purchase enough chocolate to make gift baskets for my nieces and nephews for Christmas.   I look forward to seeing their faces when they get the goodies, as I am sure they will be filled with smiles as Bryan's was this evening. 

Later in the evening he remembered that I had received a package in the mail from one of my very best friends from Chicago.  She sent me a large can of my favorite popcorn. Garrett's caramel and cheese mix.  If you have never tasted Garrett's popcorn, do not die and go to heaven without trying it.  It is the absolute best popcorn I have ever tasted; you can go to http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/ to purchase a bag or tin and do not blame me when you become addicted.  My first thought when I opened the box was, how cool ii is when the Lord reciprocates our giving. I honored Bryan with sweet treats and in return received my favorite sweet treat on the same day.  I do not believe in coincidences and know it was only a blessing from God. 

Wives of the world how do you or can you honor your husband with sweet treats?  Today was a reminder to me that it is always better to give than to receive and when we do how God always returns our giving twofold.  How can you honor your husband with sweet treats today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.
Blessings,

Rochelle

"Nothing says I love you like your favorite sweet treat." RAS

Day 293 Honoring My Husband With Remodeling



Your own work space allows you to
feel more at home.

 When we purchased our home several years ago the plan was that my office would be on the main floor and Bryan's would be on the lower level.  He started working on it about 8 years ago but never finished.  About three years ago I decided I wanted a theatre room so I had to move all our storage items from one room to what was supposed to be Bryan's office.  I had committed to it being a temporary fix until I could figure out the best location for the items. 

Well in my quest to serve in the capacity of full time wife, one of the duties on my to do list was to get his office in order.  He has several files for all three of his entities and often uses my office for his work, which I am not to crazy about because we have different housekeeping standards.  Today I honored my husband with remodeling. I spent several hours removing all the old items and finally had the time to take the time to sort through everything.  To my amazement there were quite a bit of items the only home I need to find was the nearest Goodwill store.  I could not believe how much stuff we had transported from our old house that we have absolutely no need for today yet I am very pleased to clear the clutter.

Although the room is ready for a total remodel it will require some more work before I can paint and move the furniture.  Nonetheless based on the amount of time I spent preparing it for its new look I think it is warranted to honor him today with remodeling.  The remainder of the work will be the easy part.

Wives of the world how have you or can you honor your husband with remodeling?  Is there a place he has been wanting in the home just for him but time, resources and opportunity has not presented itself.  My brother is the best carpenter I know so I reached out to him to get instructions on how to take care some of the finishing work and he volunteered to come down from New Jersey for a day this week to help me surprise Bryan with his new office.  I could not be happier.  This will be another one of those great win, win situations.  I get to do some decorating, Bryan will have his own office and I will have mine back and all to myself.  Life will be grand.  How can you honor your husband with remodeling on today?  Sometimes a simple change in a room layout can make all the difference in the world.  Please remember to share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Nothing says home like having  your own space in it." RAS

Day 292 Honoring My Husband With Leadership

Leading by faith is like having angels
carry the load so we walk a little
lighter and see our way to the end.

Today my pastor preached an awesome sermon about believing God's word.  The topic was called  "Making Do" and it was about being financially savvy in these economic times and believing no matter your circumstances that God will bring you through.  He spoke out of the book of Luke chapter 2 and told the story of Mary and Joseph making do when they had to sleep in a barn and turn the barn into a manger for baby Jesus.  He mentioned how both Joseph and Mary had to display leadership by not complaining about where they were sleeping but turning it into what would work for them at that time.  Today I am honoring my husband with leadership.

During the sermon he mentioned how at times we can forget all about the many times God has brought us through a situation and begin to complain about our current situation not realizing that complaining gets in the way of focusing on the solution to whatever challenge we may be facing.  He stated that during these times, someone in the household have to serve in the leadership capacity by believing that no matter how bleak the situation looks God will make a way out of no way.  He said if you are the stronger believer, than you simply say, I know God will do this for us and more importantly I know he will do it for me.  I had a huge smile on my face when he shared this because there have been many of times those were my exact words to Bryan.

Today I am honoring my husband with leadership by continuing to believe that whatever comes our way, the Lord will surely bring us through and by reminding him of how we continue to be blessed beyond our expectations.    I especially believe that the Lord will bring our desire to be parents to pass.  As I have said before, I don't know how, I don't know when but I know who.  Jesus will surely keep his promise.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband's with leadership?  When it comes to challenging times are you part of the solution or part of the problem?  Are you the complainer or the believer?  Are you the encourager or the doubter?  One thing I have come to know for sure, if God says it, he means it and he will do it.  If you are on the negative side of the coin during challenging times, how can you honor your husband with leadership by becoming a part of the solution and put your faith to action by demonstrating your belief in what Jesus will and can do?  How can you honor your husband with leadership today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"The LORD, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success.." Genesis 24:40

Day 291 Honoring My Husband With Quiet Time

Yesterday and today were very busy days for Bryan and me.  Yesterday I worked on getting items ready for a flea market I decided to partake in and he had his somewhat usual day of taking care of unexpected business events.  When it was all said and done today I found myself wanting to just totally unwind and then thought Bryan would probably want to do the same.  So today I honored my husband with quiet time.

I decided I wanted to create the feeling of being away at a nice cafe.  I fixed a cheese, grapes and crackers platter.  Made us two hot cups of tea, we both love tea. Turned off the TV so we could have some quiet time to just talk and be with each other and added the pleasant sounds of soft jazz music.
When Bryan came home he was a little taken back, it has been a long time since I've had time and opportunity to create such an atmosphere.  We spent a little over an hour discussing several topics before getting dinner.  Today I honored my husband with some quiet time and afforded us both an opportunity to just be.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband with quiet time?  How do you allow each other to simply enjoy each other's company without the distraction of TV, children, work or home chores?  How can you honor your husband with quiet time today? 

Blessings,

Rochelle

Day 290 Honoring My Husband's Recommendation

Two brains are always better than one.

These past few weeks have been really interesting to me.  It seems I had less of a challenge getting my  blog written while I was in school.  Since finishing school and now trying to accomplish my to do list, I am more challenged to stay up late and get it done.  I've always heard the more you have to do the more you get done, think that is what I am experiencing.  Nonetheless I'm hanging in there.  The other night I literally fell asleep on top of my laptop in the middle of my posting.  I think I need to work on the timing of my postings.  Well on Thursday I honored my husband by taking heed to his recommendation.

I have a meeting scheduled next week and the drive is about 90 minutes from home.  I had the opportunity to go the night before but turned it down.  When I shared this with Bryan he gave me several reasons why I should consider changing my plan and go the evening prior.  His reasons were that I would not have to worry about dealing with traffic, I would know exactly where I am going because I can map it out,  and I can get an idea of the community and how I like it.  I also realized I would be more relaxed during the meeting than if I drove that morning.  So I took his recommendation and changed my plans so I could be there the night before.  I felt more relaxed about it the moment I made the change.  It is so great to have a spouse that can help you process things from a different perspective.

Wives of the world how can you or do you honor your husband's recommendations?   There was a time Bryan would offer me recommendations that I initially thought were way out of alignment with what I was thinking.  However history has taught me  that because his lens is so different than mine his perspective was always in what I call my blind area.  Today I am very appreciative of our different perspectives because together our lens allows us to see the whole picture.  How can you honor your husband's recommendations today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"When weighing options, a loving spouse can be a window into the blind spots of our thinking." RAS

Day 289 Honoring My Husband With Coaching

Coaching allows one to see
with a new set of eyes.

 Yesterday Bryan was somewhat disturbed by some news he had received from a colleague.  As we discussed it I could tell it really impacted him and he had a sense of despair thinking about how the situation that impacted his colleague could also impact him.  I immediately began to remind him of how his situation was quite different than this colleague but I knew my words were falling on deaf ears.  At moments like this I do what I believe is the best thing to do which is pray and serve as a coach so the person can find their own answer.  It is staying in a place of curiosity and removing ourselves from the outcome which can be challenging when it is your loved one you are coaching.  Today I honored my husband with coaching.

As we continued the conversation I switched my mode from the encouraging wife to the life coach partner.  I asked questions like, what can you do so you do not experience the same situation in your business, how has God led you to handle such situations in the past and what would be a comfortable resolution.  At the time he could not think of any answers.  This morning as I prayed I began by asking the Lord to help Bryan find a way to address this business concern he had.  Because I am not keenly aware of all the nuances and possibilities of this aspect of his business, I could not offer any suggestions. 

A little later in the day when I spoke with him he shared how he was going to address it.  All I could say was thank you Jesus.  He began to share answers to the questions I had asked the night prior.  This taught me a very valuable lesson.  I initially thought my questions were of no value in helping him and then realized that sometimes people just need time to think through to the solutions.  I truly felt the Lord heard my prayer and removed Bryan's despair to get him to a place of seeing possibilities.  Today I honored my husband with coaching and with some help from the Lord he was able to find a solution to something that initially looked hopeless.

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with coaching?  Where is he stuck?  How can you, by serving in the role of coach instead of wife, help him to find the answers to something he is currently facing but do not see a resolution?  How can you honor him with coaching today? Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein

Day 288 Honoring My Husband With A Confirmation

I just absolutely love it when the Lord provides insight and blessings with a threefold confirmation.    Since last week the Lord has provided several reminders about his promise to me about children.  Today I watched the 700 Club and there was this awesome story about a couple who had experienced several miscarriages and was told their most recent pregnancy was not going to go full term because the doctor could not hear a heartbeat.  After much prayer and while in the hospital to have what they thought to be their still born child; the husband asked for one last sonogram.  To every one's amazement there was a heartbeat and 7 months later they had a little girl.  The story brought me to tears.

I was about to turn the TV off when Pat, one of the anchors asked to join them in prayer.  I really wanted to move forward with my chores for the day but something told me to stop and join them in prayer, so I did.  They began to pray and were praying for several things I understood but could not relate to and then the female co-anchor began to pray for all the women who are experiencing fertility challenges.  She spoke about God's promise and having faith that God will bring it to pass for everyone under the hearing of her voice.  I knew at that moment why "God" told me to listen and partake in the prayer.  It was one more reminder of his promise to Bryan and me . I could not wait to share it with him.   Today I am honoring my husband with a confirmation from the Lord.

I believe that things typically happen in threes and I believe this because it is often representative of the trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God has used three different forums on three different occasions to remind me of his forthcoming blessing.  I am honoring my husband with a confirmation that the Lord is as sure as his word and just as I have said on many occasions, including yesterday, I don't know how, I don't know when but I know who which is good enough for me.  I believe God at his word, I know Jesus is interceding on my behalf and I believe the Holy Spirit will guide me and my faith until it comes to pass. 

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with a confirmation? What has the Lord confirmed for you lately that has brought joy to you and will bring joy to your husband?  How can you honor him with a confirmation on today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

Day 287 Honoring My Husband By Recommitting

The past week has been quite spiritually and emotionally fulfilling for me.  Last week we had revival at church Monday - Wednesday.  One of the pastor's that preached used a credo that I used to use on a regular base for many years.  It is "I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know who."  This was my faith testimony about everything I believed God was going to do.  When he used these words the Lord reminded or more like convicted me about getting away from believing Him when it came to getting pregnant. At one time my faith was so strong that God was going to bless us with a child of our own that when people visited our home I would tell them one of the rooms is my daughter's room.  I would even tell them her name; it is Heaven because she will be God's gift to us from Him. I have a closet where I have stowed away clothing, gifts and other baby items I have purchased for when God performs this miraculous blessing. 

This past Sunday as I sat in church enjoying the worship service I looked around and realized I was surrounded by babies.  I could hear crying, giggles and baby noises in every direction.  My heart was filled with joy and sadness at the same time and I said to God, Lord I want to hold on to your promise but age and time are getting the best of me.  My heart got very heavy and I just said Lord when.  When my Pastor got up to speak he used the story of Abraham and Sarah to talk about how God does what he says he will do.  I shared on yesterday my desire because I think my heart was just too heavy to unload all of what I was feeling during the service.  I almost could not contain myself as he spoke about holding on to God's promise and our dreams and when he reminded us that Sarah was 90 when she gave birth I knew it was the Lord's reassuring me.

This was of huge significance to me because God has been using the story of Abraham and Sarah with me and Bryan for many years in terms of children.  So much so that at one point Bryan and I were at two different churches and when we came home that evening to talk about the service we realized that both preachers talked about Abraham and Sarah and this was on the heels of a discussion we had only two days prior.  We knew the messages were not a coincidence.  Today I am honoring my husband by recommitting my faith and unwavering belief in Jesus and that the Lord will do what he said he will do. 

Bryan and I had to drive two different cars to church on Sunday.  I arrived before him and realized I did not have my phone so I could not text him to let him know where I was sitting.  We have a huge church that sits close to 5,000 people so I did not see him nor did he see me even though we both sat in the area where we typically sit.  While the pastor was preaching I was so yearning for Bryan's presence as I felt my pastor was speaking to me and I took notes feverishly so I could share all the details with him. I thought he may have decided to visit another church or got caught up with errands.  To my surprise at the end of the service as he was leaving we saw each other.  He came over and gave me a huge hug because we both knew the Lord was speaking to us.

Today I am honoring my husband by recommitting my faith, standing on God's promise, believing him at his word, knowing what he promised will come to pass and allowing my faith and not life's facts to guide the way.  As I have so often said, "I don't know how, I don't know when, but I know who" and that is all that matters. 

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband by recommitting?  What is it that you have let go of or your faith has wavered that you need to recommit to?  There have been many situations where things have looked bleak and the only thing I had to stand on was faith, so that is what I did and every time, every single situation the Lord came through.  The one thing I remember about each and every one of those situations is that I held on to the Lord's word,  "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry," and "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." Psalm 34:15 & 55:22 respectively.  I knew if I walked in faith God would give me a testimony as he always did and I know he always will. How can you honor your husband by recommitting your faith today?

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3: 5-6

Day 286 Honoring My Husband With A Desire

Today was an awesome day in church.  My pastor preached about believing God will do what he said he will do.  He noted  how God keeps his promises and we are to hold on to our desires if God has told us  he will do what we've asked to fulfill our desires.  On today I honored my husband with a desire for our love and life together.


My desire is that we stay in love and to passionately and fearlessly listen to our hearts.
To be thoughtful and generous to each other.  To believe in our love at every sight.
To hold hands and laugh uncontrollably. To write each other love letters and make gifts.
To get dressed up for dates, I love getting dressed up.  To feel butterflies in our stomach when we touch.
To want to run away together and stay in bed all day.
To create memories we will enjoy telling our children and grandchildren because that is God's promised.
To always learn from each other and be patient and kind with our words to one another.
To grow very old together, be spontaneous, impulsive and indulgent in our love.
To kiss each other goodnight and at every first sight.  To remember why we fell in love and;
to live happily ever after.

Today I am honoring my husband with a desire by making it plain and clear to the Lord.  As the Psalmist says may he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.   If marriage is God's design than how can he not make my desires come true.

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with a desire?  I remember when I was young, I would take my desires to the Lord in prayer and by wishing upon a star.  Today I know God fulfills desires and I look upon the stars as His watchful eyes over us at night. What promise has the Lord made to you that you are waiting to be fulfilled?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." Psalms 20:4

Day 285 Honoring My Husband With Curiosity

The other day while grocery shopping I noticed this month's Essence magazine had blazoned on the cover, "The Secret To Black Love, Real Couples, Real Solutions."  So of course I had to purchase it.  Then on today while teaching at church, someone had a local magazine called "Grace & Glory".  While perusing through it I noticed an article titled "Love Unlimited" so I found a copy I could bring home.  Both of these magazine articles raised my curiosity about their contents.  Being and African American couple, I was especially intrigued by the Essence article and very curious as to whether or not it would contain any secrets that are specifically for Black couples that may not apply to others.  Today I honored my husband with curiosity in the hopes I would learn something new in the pages of either or both articles.

After reading both articles I was somewhat excited, a little disappointed but mostly I think I felt validated.  I enjoyed the contents of both. The Essence article that stated secrets to black love I discovered was really an article about how important it is to have effective communication, clear expectations, ongoing shared activities, and a high degree of commitment and sharing of life experiences to keep love alive.  To me these secrets are not just for African American or Black couples  but for any couple that wants to have lasting love.

The Grace & Glory article focused on the importance of loving each other as God loves us.  One of the things stated in the article was "You cannot surpass God's love but it does not hurt to try" I loved this little nugget.  The author went on to say, "Give love, the gift that keeps on giving, and  you and the recipient will not be disappointed."  The article was written by Carla J. Debnam who is the wife of a Pastor I know very well.  My thoughts after reading her article was, well done and well said.  She spoke about how God's love is not limited and how we are to show love in action by not having limits.

Today I honored my husband with curiosity, mainly because my curiosity led me on a journey to discover some great secret or to find love unlimited.  I am happy that as a result of reading both articles I felt I am on the right path, have activated the recommended secrets, and to try to love like Jesus in all my relationships.  It was a nice validation.

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband's with curiosity?  What things do you have questions about in your relationship or other areas that a little curious research can solve?  How can you honor your husband with curiosity today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"Curiosity is the lust of the mind." Thomas Hobbes

Day 284 Honoring My Husband With An Embrace

An embrace says more
than a million words.

Today I am honoring my husband with an embrace.  You may recall I shared about the benefits of  the  one minute hug. Well a picture is worth a thousand words.  Someone captured a moment of Bryan and I during my closing ceremony at school.  It was the embrace we shared after I publicly acknowledged  him (Day 273) and his support during my journey through school.  I mentioned how I believed I made several deposits into his emotional bank and this picture is my evidence of how he received that message.  Today I am honoring my husband with an embrace in remembrance of the importance and impact emotional deposits have on one's spirit.

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with an embrace?  Remember the one minute hug is a way to keep the emotional bank on full and when you add the blessing of a public acknowledgement there's no doubt you will see the evidence of the impact through the embrace of your spouse.  How can you honor your husband with an embrace today?  Please share your stories with us we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"The embrace of a hug speaks the love language of life." RAS

Day 283 Honoring My Husband With Advent

Joy, Hope, Peace and Love,
God's gift to us and our relationships.

Today as I was reading one of my favorite devotionals, Our Daily Bread it talked about the season of advent which began this past Sunday.  It is my favorite time of year where we gear up to celebrate the birth of Christ.  I was reminded that Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation and of longing.  It talked about how hope, peace joy and love are emphasized during this time.  As I read more about each of these blessings from God I thought how different life would be if we celebrated advent every day throughout the year in our marriage. Today I am honoring my husband with Advent. 

Our Daily Bread described the following:

HOPE. We have an inheritance reserved in heaven, a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5).  How would we see things if we addressed our marital challenges through the lens of hope every day?  How much lighter our hearts would be?

PEACE. We will love life and see good days if we turn from evil and do good and if we seek peace, for the Lord watches over the righteous and hears their prayers (3:10-12).  How much more pleasant would we be if we constantly walked in peace which allows our energy to be calming presence?

JOY. We have inexpressible joy even though we have trials because our faith is being tested and proven genuine. The end of this faith is the salvation of our souls (1:6-9).  How much less anxiety would we experience if we truly trusted God by activating from the moment we arise in the morning till the time we lay for rest?

LOVE. We can love one another with a pure heart because we have been born again through the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1:22-23).  How different would we experience our marriage if our spouses experienced our love as unconditional every moment of every day?

Because Christ came the first time, we can live with hope, peace, joy, and love till He comes again.  We can live this way every day in every way if we choose to live the season of advent everyday.

Today I am honoring my husband with advent.  It is my favorite time of the year where it seems everyone is filled with joy and peace.  I am honoring my husband with advent as a reminder that Christ's birth was intended for us to experience hope, peace, joy and love to the extreme not only in our daily walk but in our life's relationships, especially marriage.  I am honoring my husband with Advent as I continue to experience the spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation and of longing for how God will continue to move our marriage to another level of glory.  I am excited about what he is doing, will do and has already done. 

Wives of the world how can you honor your husband with Advent?  What are you expecting, anticipating, preparing and longing for the Lord to do in your marriage?  How can you honor your husband with Advent today?  Please share your stories with us; we would love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Rochelle

"If you’re looking for more hope, peace, joy, and love in your marriage, look to God."