15 Things {Day Nine}

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My husband cannot read my mind.  And he's not illiterate.
(and this picture is not of us...hahaha)

Every wife knows this, but it's like we just can't believe it or something!   I mean, the poor guy comes home from work, and it's written all over us, right?  It's either been a bad day, or it's fixin' to be a bad evening!  And by just walking in the door, he oughta know exactly what's running through our overactive mind. 

Lots of books have been written about how to fight or fix this phenomenon, but on it lives.  And for every poor, unassuming husband who has just put it a long day providing for his family, it's a shame. 

Think about the myriad of details a wife could oversee during any given day:

• Paying bills/balancing checkbook
• Household chores
• Family members who are emotionally or physically needy
• Church responsibilities
• Purchasing - groceries, gifts, household needs, clothing
• Tending children
• Making or keeping appointments - doctor, dentist, music lessons, etc.
• Working a job outside of the home in a professional environment
• Most likely a huge combination of these

And her frustration at the end of the day may concern one of the above, or something completely out of the ordinary and unexpected.  Some husbands are genuinely concerned about their wife's feelings, and are kind enough to ask what's up or if everything is ok.  Others may not even notice the expression, the mood, the tone.

My husband should get a trophy for the amount of nights he has come home and tried to figure me out.  We are at this little point in time right now where we know there are certain cyclical times when I can't even figure myself out, so I weakly smile at him and say, "When I get it figured out, I'll let ya know."  That seems to make so much more sense to him than a grumble and a cold shoulder.  I wonder why.  :-)

In my head I've always known Greg couldn't read my mind, but it took my heart a little longer to catch up. Now I'm trying to make it a point to clear my head of all the distracting junk (pressures, discouragements, etc.) before he gets home so that my mind is a more focused on him than myself.  As with the rest of this learning process called marriage, it hasn't happened in a day or a week, but it's definitely a habit worth repeating as often as I'm able.

Now...hurrah for the weekend!  This week has been long and heavy.  Life hurts sometimes, you know?  I'm having to give myself some of the same exact counsel I've given to others in the last few weeks. God won't always protect us from the effects of the fall.  Disease and death...they didn't have any part in his original plan.  Sin brought all of this on us, and it's because of the curse of sin that we must endure these trials.  But...God will give us the strength and the courage to face the circumstances that come our way.  He will bring us through with victory!  As I've had to face discouraging news, God has reminded me of His faithfulness to the generations on my family.  His blessings have been innumerable. He will not forsake us in the time of our suffering!