Yesterday, I followed JP to the shop to drop off his van for some repairs. It was after lunch and neither of us had eaten, he suggested we go out to lunch together. I kinda shot down the idea at first with some excuse and then he expressed that all he was trying to do was to have a spontaneous date with me. End of my excuses.
When your husband wants to go out with you on a date, don't shoot him down. We didn't dress up, my hair was a mess, but I put away my excuses.
We stopped at this quaint little place that is fairly new in our town. It serves authentic German food. I remember when we first got married, we used to go try new foods...go on new adventures. Somehow, we've settled into a nice routine or rut. Whichever you want to call it.
My husband opened the door for me, held my arm so I wouldn't slip and helped with my chair when we sat down to eat. It's been a long time, since we've acted like we were dating.
Before I go further, here's the food:
Jagerschnitzel
Konigsberger Klopse (German Meatballs)
Black and White (Chocolate Mousse and Bavarian Cream)
Rice Pudding
The food was AMAZING!!!! The dessert was divine. I took one bite of the chocolate and found it much too rich for my no-chocolate rule. I could have eaten double portions of the Bavarian cream without blinking an eye.
Back to my thoughts, now that the food is out of the way.
The Lord has used my foot injury to put me such a better place in more ways than one. JP and I have had conversations that I was too busy to have before. I was able to be spontaneous with my husband without worrying about: how much is this going to cost, how much time will we be gone from the kids... I gave my husband what he needed (and I needed to), time together to enjoy good food and good conversation.
We are heading into some challenges in the future with his work and refocusing in some areas of our life. I'm so thankful the Lord has seen fit to make me stop and get on the same page with my husband. We are so much more equipped to face what's ahead, just because I've been forced to rest.
This morning I read part of this article by Joy Forney The One Thing Your Husband Really Wants From You (It's not what you think)
Joy gives her husband a list of things and asks him to list them in priority that he would like to see her do. This was his response: "So, to sum it all up, showing me you love me has more to do with WHO you
are than what you do! It’s my best friend I fell in love with and want
to hang out with, not my maid!"
She goes on to say...
"You see, I was so busy doing things for my husband, trying to be the perfect wife, that I was getting it all wrong. I was so tired and stressed that I was snappy, unkind, and impatient. And the only thing my dear husband wanted was a girlfriend!"
"You see, I was so busy doing things for my husband, trying to be the perfect wife, that I was getting it all wrong. I was so tired and stressed that I was snappy, unkind, and impatient. And the only thing my dear husband wanted was a girlfriend!"
So, while I have been resting more and not going crazy cleaning, cooking, running around...I've been practicing being more of a girlfriend to my husband. We watch movies on the couch together at night while I'm alternate heat and cold on my ankle. We are having hard conversations and making decisions maybe we've been putting off for a while. We are seeking God's will together. I have been able to re-prioritize things. I am seeing how always saying, "yes" to good things is not the best. I've learned that the kids helping out more is not a punishment, but vital to their maturity. Staying at home more lets us really focus on schoolwork and helps me be less stressed at the end of a day. Which is a good thing for when my boyfriend (aka my husband) gets home.
All because of a bum foot....thank you, Lord!