FANCY FRIDAY

Not to get too personal on you but this week was one of those weeks were just when I thought I couldn't fall any deeper in love with my husband, I did. He was very attentive. Said all the right things. Helped without being asked. He hugged me at all the right times. I am truly blessed.

But like any marriage though, we've had our down times. Our first year of marriage was really hard for us. We had fallen into a rut of trying to change one another and had lost sight of the qualities that made us initially fall in love with one another. During that low point, we went on a date to "reconnect." I came up with this somewhat cheesy idea to paint a dinner plate at one of those do-it-yourself ceramic painting studios - "Paint the Town" in Seattle to be exact - with the words: I LOVE YOU BECAUSE...
Surprisingly, over the past 7.5 years that silly plate has brought so much clarity, reassurance and expression to our marriage. It's one thing to say you love someone. It's another thing to actually express WHY you love them. The rules of the plate are this: It could be used at any meal but you have to tell the other just why you love them. It could be something they did that particular day that made you smile. Or something they said that was special to you. It can be really deep or as simple as, "I love you because you are a good listener." The plate can be used as little or as much as we see fit.

This past week as I set out the dinner plates around the table, I put the special plate on Dave's placemat. He needed to know that his actions did not go unnoticed. When he walked into the kitchen, his face lit up with excitement. My heart melted. I would have never thought that the symbolism and simplicity of the special plate would be so influential in our marriage. And that is what tickles my fancy.

Your turn...what tickled your fancy this week??