“I’m so tired of flowers,” sighed the elderly woman in the TV commercial as my jaw hit the floor. She had just described how her husband of fifty years, seated next to her, brought her flowers on their first date, and every year since had given her the same bouquet on that day.
And she was tired of flowers.
It wasn’t enough that she had a husband who stayed with her for fifty years. Or that he actually remembered the day of their first date every year. Or that he was caring enough to send her flowers on that date. Or that he was sentimental and romantic enough to send her the same flowers every year.
No. She was tired of flowers. She wanted the product the commercial was trying to sell.
I wanted a shoe to throw at the TV.
My husband brought me flowers today. I know, in the picture they look rather more like birthday candles than flowers. That’s because, technically, my flowers were birthday candles.
I was getting ready for our youngest son’s birthday party. I had already made a trip to the store and thought I had everything I needed. Until I discovered I was nearly out of baking powder. My husband was out running errands, so I sent him a text asking if he could pick some up for me. He did. No problem. Until I remembered I didn’t have any candles for the birthday cake. And he had already left the store. And it was raining.
“And it was raining.” I say that like it’s just so pedestrian, like it’s some normal, everyday thing, which, in south Louisiana in June, I assure you, it is not. Every day, yes. Normal, no. Remember that scene in one of those ’90’s “asteroid crashes into the earth” movies where the asteroid has just hit and the man and his daughter are standing on the beach watching the huge resulting tidal wave roll in to engulf them? Well if, instead of the beach, you can imagine yourself trying to navigate a WalMart parking lot with a buggy full of groceries and four kids in tow in the middle of that tidal wave, you’ll have some idea of what monsoon season is like down here.
And you know what my husband did when I asked him to go get birthday candles in that mess? He did it gladly. No complaints. No asking, “Why didn’t you think about this sooner?” He just walked in the house, soaked and smiling, and handed me the candles.
No bouquet could have been better.
Ladies, my husband has a lot of faults. I’ll bet yours does too. Because just like us, they’re sinful human beings. Often, like the lady in the commercial, we trample over a dozen roses to plant our feet in a briar patch. We overlook the ways our husbands are a blessing to us and focus only on our complaints.
Maybe he didn’t get you exactly what you wanted for your birthday, but does he work hard every day to support your family? So, he didn’t notice your new haircut right away. Does he give the kids their bath every night? Yes, his dirty socks are constantly on the floor in front of the hamper, but didn’t he change the oil in the car yesterday?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
The next time you’re tempted to complain about your husband’s shortcomings, why not praise God instead for a way that he has blessed you or done something admriable? And let’s make sure to thank our husbands for those little “flowers” they bring us every day.
I want to hear from you:
What kind of “flowers” has your husband brought you recently?
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- 23 Things I’ve Learned in 23 Years of Marriage - December 29, 2015
- The Shepherds’ Gospel - December 22, 2015
- Christian Cyber Monday Deals You Probably Haven’t Heard About but Don’t Want to Miss! - November 30, 2015
Michelle, this is SO awesome! I think I am going to write up a small list this afternoon and share with my husband for our date night tonight. Thanks! 🙂
Glad you liked it, Joyice! I’ll bet your husband will be glad you liked it, too! :0)
Coffee in bed when he’s off! He never complains about me being to busy to cook supper every night!
Awesome! A man cannot go wrong with coffee, in my humble opinion :0)
WONDERFUL post!! I think it’s so important to be thankful for the little things each day! Gratitude is the enemy of discontentment. My most recent “flowers” was a gallon of milk. Which the man of the house happily stopped off to get after a 5 mile run the other night. (btw: I would have wanted to throw something at the tv also!)
Beckey
http://www.etsy.com/shop/queenbsbusywork
That was so nice of him! Glad you enjoyed the article! :0)
thank you for this post michelle, it was beautiful to read. (Although it does kind of make me wish that my husband was home so I could hug him. he is the kind of hubby who would go back for the candles without complaint in monsoon season too.) 😀
Thanks, Shirley. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that big hug when he gets home! :0)
What a great reminder! Love it! I have one of those husbands too, and I truly appreciate him.
Thanks, Joan. It’s always great to have one of the good guys at home! :0)
Oh I loved reading this. if we could always see their heart, our marriages would be stronger. Thanks for encouraging all of us how to focus on the the good. ~Pamela
Thanks, Pamela. Glad you enjoyed it :0)
It is such a blessing to read of your wonderful relationship and mutual respect for each other. To focus on the rose and ignore the thorns is a gift not enough people enjoy.
Thanks, osomann. We have our ups and downs like everybody else, but God has been so good to teach me about affirming and appreciating my husband :0)
Love this! It upsets me when women don’t appreciate everything their man does for them and only points out the negatives or what they should’ve done. I think I tell my husband at least every other day how much he means to me and everything he does for me and our family. If he was as cute as that man who got the same flowers on the date of their first-date, I’d probably blush everytime. We can’t even remember the day of our first date! Lol
Thanks, SaraRenee! Yep, it’s so important to be appreciative! :0)
New follower now! I completely fell in love with this post! Such simple truths, yet it’s astonishing how often we can forget them.
Thanks, Tiffany! Welcome aboard! :0)
I wanted to throw a shoe, too! My husband’s love language is serving. He made my second raised garden bed – and he does the Wal-Mart thing, too:) Lots of beautiful love hugging going on in your post! Made me happy!
And it makes me happy to hear all of these ladies appreciating their husbands! It’s a win-win! :0)
I love this! I just tweeted this morning how I didn’t want to do the dishes before going to bed last night. I just didn’t. and this morning, I woke to ZERO dishes in the sink. I’m super blessed and try to spoil him as much as he spoils me.
Wow! Ok, so now all of our single ladies will want to know– does he have a brother? lol :0)
How very sweet of him! My husband hasn’t bought me flowers in a long time. He will, however, go to the rose garden, snip a few roses, hold them behind his back and while that little boy glitter in his eyes stick them under my nose! Those mean way more than and immaculate bouquet that costs the same as a weeks groceries! How blessed we are, when we look for it and choose to be grateful for it!
How sweet! Sounds like you’ve got a keeper, Kaylene! :0)
My husband brings me flowers shaped like birthday candles, a full tank of gas, bags of mulch. What a wonderful way to think of this! Delightful post!!!
Thanks, Charlene. Glad you enjoyed it! :0)