Hello, Dear Blogging Friends.
When we are on vacation in the fall, one of the things my children love to do is visit the thrift shop on the island. It is only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10-12 and you can bet on those mornings they get up, dress quickly, gulp their breakfast, skip the fishing and run down the block to St. Michael's with their pockets full of spare change. Usually, on those days, Allen and I lag behind and then wander up to meet them around noon to walk on to the beach.
One day, while the children were conducting business and haggling over prices, I was digging through the used book selection. I had finished the book I brought along and was looking for something to carry to the beach with me. Immediately, one book caught my eye.
Just by the name alone, without even opening the book, I eagerly forked over my .50 and could not wait to dig in. I sat on the beach flipping through the pages knowing that I had gotten my money worth. The book, written by Jani Gardner in 1968, is just what the title says -365 ways for a wife to show her husband that she loves him. It is divided into months and takes into account the events of the season at hand.
Over lunch, on thrift shop days, the kids take turns telling about their buys. That afternoon, we all shared our great finds from the thrift store and everyone agreed mine was extra special. Especially Allen who thought it was, "Cute." That means anything good in Allen talk.
At nap time I read every page and dear hubby, who was reading over my shoulder let out more than one "awwww" and a number of chuckles. When we got to the end, he said, "I can see it now. A new blog. You could share it with other women. Wouldn't that be great?" And so we settled on January 1st as the perfect start date.
My husband and I have known each other, first as friends and then as a couple and eventually as husband and wife, since I was 17 years old. And we have had wonderful times together. Each year, I have come to love him more than the one before. As time has passed, our family and responsibilities have grown exponentially. Although, I try to constantly show my good husband how much I love him and what a blessing he is to me and to our family, I know that I often get caught up in the busy part of our world and forget.
So, thanks to dear Jani I am going to make a point to show my husband each day of this next year that I love him as much as a person could love another person. Over at my new blog, 365 Ways... , I am going to post each day the idea that Jani has in her book. In the comment section I will be posting the way that I tried to fulfill my goal for the day. I invite you to do the same. Let us encourage each other to take the time to show our husbands what an honour it is to be married to them.
Some of the ideas may not be applicable today or are even not practical. But I decided I would write just what she has and use those ideas when possible and to come up with my own to fill in the blanks. And that, my dear blogging friends, is where the fun will begin.
A few little housekeeping details. First, for those who want to look for the book, the drawings are very 1960's cartoonish style. Some are a bit more "riske" and some of her ideas are a bit more "suggestive." Therefore, if you would find this offensive, than consider yourself forewarned. With those things in mind, and because this is intended to be for exhorting married women, I will be making it a private blog. I will keep it open for a short time for those readers who want to pop over and check it out to decide if they would like to follow along. But, sometime in the next few weeks, I will be making it by invite only. My hope is, that in doing so, it will give us the forum to be more open and be able to share with each other.
To clarify, for now, it is open for you to stop by and check it out. The first post will be up on January 1st and one each day following. Be sure to leave a comment here or drop me an email at any time in the next year if you want an invitation to follow along.
Here's to a year filled with the joy of showing love to the dearest of our hearts!
