NATIONAL WIFE APPRECIATION DAY

Sept 17th is National Wife Appreciation Day  (Photo by Kristina Litvjak on Unsplash)


NATIONAL WIFE APPRECIATION DAY

National Wife Appreciation day is celebrated on the third Sunday in September (the 17th in this case) - I don't post on a Sunday, but I couldn't resist celebrating this one a day late (instead of National Cheeseburger Day!)

In keeping with the concept of the day, I thought "who better to ask to write about wife appreciation than my own beloved husband?" He tentatively accepted the challenge and took his life in his hands to write about this very sensitive topic! I hope you enjoy reading his thoughts as much as I did - it was a pretty honest account - not sugar coated (unfortunately) but from the heart and that's what really counts isn't it?

WIFE APPRECIATION FROM MY HUSBAND

I am nervous about writing this; after all, when opining about wives on my wife’s own forum, there’s great potential for things to go awry.

Initially, I thought of writing on what Leanne means to me, but I realised that would place the focus upon me and my thoughts and feelings, rather than the person central to this post. So, here on National Wife Appreciation Day, what is it about this person specifically and – by extrapolation – about wives generally, which ought to be honoured and appreciated?

SHE IS WHAT I'M NOT

For instance, Leanne is canny with money: she is frugal, invests wisely, and is astute with purchases. She is light and bubbly: she has a song for every occasion, she can write in a greeting card at a moment’s notice, and is not given to gravitas. She is risk averse: she is cautious about new things, is attuned to potential dangers, and prefers life ordered and sensible.

SHE SEES WHAT I CAN'T

It seems every morning Leanne stands under a shower of cold reality; she isn’t swayed by ambitious projections which are largely based upon equal measures of unfounded assumptions and pixie dust. She understands the way of the world and how the game is played. She looks to the future and has a plan to get there.

SHE KNOWS WHAT I DON'T

Even now I ask her, “How do you spell….?” when I’m stuck. She has opinions I always value, even if I don’t agree with them. Her general knowledge on things ranging from garden plants to human anatomy is often surprising.

The happiest couples never have the same character. They have the best understanding of their differences.

OPPOSITES STILL ATTRACT

Much of the reason for appreciating my wife is that we see things differently; we have different tastes, approaches, habits and outlooks, and that does create friction – but also interest. 

A couple of months back I went to a professional development on A Neuropsychotherapy Approach to Couples and one of the side comments made by the presenter, Peter Janetzki, (speaking from a Christian worldview) was that marriage is designed to make up holy, not happy. That is, we seem attracted to someone who has a special ability to needle us in our raw spots, which presents a wonderful in-house opportunity for self-reflection and refinement.

I appreciate Leanne not in spite of, but because of our differences. As an opposite in so many ways, she compliments and completes this union.
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So there you have it - my husband's first guest blog post - and I am so pleased he stepped out of his comfort zone and wrote something for me - that's true love as far as I'm concerned! 


This is Ross - my lovely husband, and the author of this post. He is a Family Counsellor and owns Wellspring Counselling and Family Therapy. He's also a keen runner, surfer, kayaker, rock climber, and skateboarder (everything I'm not!) When he's not out being active he's home keeping me company and herding our two cats. 

Sept 17th is National Wife Appreciation Day  (Photo by Kristina Litvjak on Unsplash)

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37 comments

  1. This is a lovely post Leanne!! I'm so glad he went the way he did with it and not just made it about what you mean to him. It's just beautiful how he has written it and you are very brave asking him to post 😊

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    1. I was hoping he'd wax lyrical about how marvellous I am Deb, but I'll settle for honesty and from the heart :)

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  2. This is such a wonderful post! Ross -- you are a very brave and risk-taking man indeed. There is zero chance that my husband, Richard, would ever write a guest post (or even a 'guest sentence') for my blog. But he does let me write about him uncensored -- so I will settle for that! (:

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    1. He definitely took his life in his hands Donna - but I think he did a great job and now I'm trying to persuade him to do it again - not having much luck so far though!

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  3. Well said Ross. You might get asked to do more guest blogs in the future.

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    1. I'm working on him but he doesn't seem to be jumping at the opportunity of co-hosting this fabulous space on the internet.....

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  4. What a beautifully expressed post! You guys sound very blessed to have each other, awwww.

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    1. Thanks for your lovely words Tara - we are definitely a case of opposites attract, and we're giving it our best shot (35 years and counting!)

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  5. Loved it Leanne and what a great way to spend National Wife Appreciation Day. He's a keeper!

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    1. I was really pleased that he stepped up to the challenge Sue - I don't think he'll be putting his hand up for a repeat performance any time soon though :)

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  6. Awww. I am so impressed, first that he accepted the challenge and secondly he didn't opt out with just a few lines of platitude! How can you not love a man who herds his cats???

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    1. He never does a half-a***ed job of anything Haralee so I knew he'd rise to the occasion - and he is an excellent cat herder too!

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  7. Mary a word to add. Just a big big smile.

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  8. OK :-) :-) now I have to add because of auto correct. That was NARY.

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    1. I'm just impressed that you have the word "nary" in your vocabulary Carla - you are a many faceted woman :)

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  9. What a wonderful post from Ross! I don't think you could ask for much more....

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    1. He did a great job didn't he Renee? I'm just not sure I'll get a repeat performance any time soon....

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  10. Your husband did a wonderful job with this post and it was a lovely tribute to you. The topic gave me a smile because just yesterday when my husband and I were headed to take photos of my next "A Woman I Know" subject, he asked when I'd planned to do a feature on my photographer (which is him). I was totally taken aback by the question because I hadn't thought that he would like the "exposure". Now I need to find an appropriate national day for the post.

    Rena
    http://www.finewhateverblog.com

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    1. I'm sure there's a National Fantastic Photographer/Husband day out there somewhere Rena - if not, you can just create one in his honour :)

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  11. Leanne, this is a lovely post. Kudus to your husband! What a lovely memory he has written of you. Thanks for sharing. The results of last week's survey

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    1. Thanks Shirley - hopefully he didn't share anything that surprised anyone too much!

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  12. What a great post Ross! And thanks for giving us a peak at Leanne from your perspective.

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    1. He definitely stuck to the truth Jennifer - and I guess it's where our strengths are (in our differences).

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  13. This is so beautiful. I agree with your sweet husband. I feel like David and I are a puzzle....half of the puzzle is me - half the puzzle pieces are David. When he goes out.......I go in. We compliment each other. We are not the same. However, our values are the same.

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    1. I think that's the secret Ellen - you have to have the same foundations, then the little differences are complimentary rather than constantly causing conflict.

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  14. That was a lovely read and I too am married to a complete opposite but it's what also keeps us together...LOL. Well-done to your husband for his words and to you for your sharing here. Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek 36/52. Next week's prompt: Beach or Bush.

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    1. Hi Denyse - there is definitely some truth in the "opposites attact" saying isn't there? So many of us are quite different to our spouses and yet we are weathering the storms and doing a really good job of this marriage business.

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  15. What a sweet thing to do. I love how beautifully, he focused on the unique things you bring to your marriage. Stay blessed, both of you.

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    1. Thanks so much Corinne - I hope we have many, many more years to celebrate together - not sure there'll be many more blog posts from him though!

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  16. Great article and one I want to share! Thanks so much for linking up!

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    1. Thanks so much and my pleasure Teresa - and it was lovely to join in your party :)

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  17. What a great idea and how lovely of your husband to write the post. The quote perfectly reflects his sentiment.

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    1. I thought he was brave to have a go too Julie - but he is a writer so I knew he could rise to the challenge :)

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  18. I didn't even know this day was a thing!!

    You should linkup at Bloggers Spotlight too!
    http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/category/bloggers-spotlight/

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    1. Me either Hil but it was a fun topic and one that was a challenge for my husband to sink his teeth into. Thanks for the invite too x

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  19. I'll say it again, I LOVED THIS! I'm forwarding it to my husband to see if I can get him to write one of these for me (even though it's no longer Wife Appreciation Day, hahah!).

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    1. I didn't think Ross would accept the challenge Wendy, but was so pleased when he decided to - it made a nice change from me writing and I think he did a great job! Hopefully your husband will rise to the occasion at some stage too :)

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