BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR MARRIAGE AND ALL THE HAPPILY MARRIED BENEFITS...

Don't you just love fall? The leaves on the trees are changing color. The weather is perfect this time of year! November welcomes the beginning of the holiday season! The time of year when mankind seems to be happier, more giving, and in very festive moods. Thanksgiving has always been a special time of reflection in my house. A time of year where family comes together from many different places. We create a feast that could feed an army. We play games, dance, and reminisce about the good old days! Holidays are celebrated many different ways depending on your religion and background. Love, however, is universal and can be celebrated by all. No matter your age, religion, ethnicity, or social class, when you experience real love, it changes your life for the better and that is definitely a reason to be thankful! Thankfulness is the message I want to convey to you today through this blog. Be thankful for your marriage and all the happily married benefits it brings your way. If you think this is a great idea, please keep reading, and my hope is that you get more thankful with each word you read!

What is the definition of thankful? Aware and appreciative of a benefit, grateful. Expressive of gratitude. When you are thankful for anything, you are aware of how it benefits you in positive ways! Marriage is a blessing to those who embrace it in that manner. Do you ever think about all the good that has come to you because you made a commitment to your spouse? I do, and there are many. I love the feeling of security I get from knowing that I am a priority to my husband. My happiness and wellbeing are always in the forefront of his mind and that makes me feel secure. How do I know this for sure? My husband not only tells me that I am the most important person in his life, but he also shows me with his actions. There is nothing (within reason and legal parameters) he wouldn't do for me. Growing up in a single parent home, in the absence of a father, I dreamed about what it would be like to have my dad's protection and provision present in my life. It wasn't until my husband came along, that I began to trust that another human being could exemplify those nurturing characteristics. I am so thankful for the secure feeling that my marriage brings to my life! Love has made a believer out of me! It is o.k. to put your trust in your spouse. Even if life's circumstances have tried to tell you that no one is dependable or no one stays forever. Time, patience, and consistency will rewrite all the rules of love for you. Trust the process, acknowledge what you have found, and celebrate by being thankful. Marriage is the place where you can feel totally vulnerable with no fear.

I tell my thankful story from a wife's point of view but, men also have plenty of reason to feel thankful as well. Women like a sense of security and men like wives that are consistent. You want to see a happy husband? Be a wife that is consistently sweet and caring. Be a wife that is consistently encouraging to your man. Be a wife that is consistently understanding and patient, and you will have a husband that is very thankful for your love. Consistency means reliable, regular, and stable. Consistency means you are not up one day and down the next. Wives must learn to keep our emotions under control. As females we are very emotional by nature. Men are not. For this reason, they don't always respond the way we would like. Remember when I told you very early on, that marriage is a subtle dance of give and take between the two parties involved? Knowing what your husband needs, wants, and expects from you and then, being willing to present it to him on a regular basis, is doing the marriage dance. A thankful husband has thoughts of his wife caring for him in a way that makes his life easier. A thankful husband realizes that his wife enjoys cooking for him and lending him an ear when he needs someone to listen. Same rules apply to husbands as they do to wives. Life circumstances may have tried to teach him that he has to always be hard and never show his true feelings. The love of a consistently loyal wife will rewrite the rules of love for him. Time, patience, and consistency will have your husband cherishing and honoring you. Thankful that you are the one he chooses to spend the rest of his life with. A happily married couple is thankful for each other!

What are some benefits that come along with being thankful for your marriage? I'm so glad you asked that question! The rules of the matrimonial universe are as follows...YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE~YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW! Be a giver of whatever you want your marriage to give back to you. You want to feel more secure? Get busy making your spouse feel taken care of. You want to feel more intimacy? Get busy creating a sexy environment and making your spouse feel desirable, and I guarantee the sparks will ignite! You want an attentive partner? Be a good listener and let your actions show that you are willing to put in the work of a happily married/thankful person. I absolutely love that my husband pumps my gas for me, and I am grateful. I appreciate my husband working hard to provide a roof over our heads, food on our table, and I am very thankful for that also. I am moved to tears when I think about the way my husband connects with our boys. He is a fantastic father, and I am thankful that they know he will always be there for them, throughout their lives. I hate to sleep alone, and I am thankful to have a hubby that likes to cuddle. My husband is a funny man with a great sense of humor. He keeps our family laughing and I am thankful for the joy he brings to my life. My husband is very attentive. He notices everything I do to look my best for him. He compliments me all the time and I love that about him as well. My husband is a smart man with a brilliant mind, and I am thankful for his wisdom. You know that I could go on and on with reasons why I am thankful for my marriage. Some things are small and may seem like nothing to you, but I try not to take the little things for granted. My life is a magnanimous force of joy, fulfilling love, and gratitude. I wish the same for you. Let's learn to focus on the positive. Remind ourselves of the good things a healthy marriage has to offer and block out all the negative. Let's be thankful for our marriages so we can live Happily Married lives, O.K.? O.K.!