A guest post from my dear friend (and fellow Nebraskan), the beautiful Jennifer of Studio JRU, to continue Wedding Week and the celebration of my little sister getting married TOMORROW!

And there just might be more to share in regards to Studio JRU and this weekend’s festivities! Stay tuned!

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Gratitude.

Thankfulness.

Appreciation.

We all know how easily it can happen… we fall into a routine. We start to expect things. We begin to not notice things. We forget to say a simple thank you. We forget to show our gratitude. We forget to show our love. We assume our spouse already knows.

Don’t know about you, but last time I asked my husband was not a mind reader. We need to tell them!

Hearing a sincere thank you, giving a sincere thank you can mean more than you would ever imagine. It seems to speak straight to the heart. It tells your heart ‘he actually noticed’. It tells his heart ‘she really appreciated that’.

Lets face it… there are many things in day to day living that aren’t exactly fun. I know there are things my husband doesn’t like doing, but he does them anyway… for love. There are things that I really wish I didn’t need to do, but I do them anyway… for love.  It is so important not to let those things go unnoticed. Be grateful for the little things. Take the time to show your gratitude. It also makes these things seem just a bit easier to do when you know what you are doing is actually appreciated… am I right? 😉

We have a special box that sits in our bedroom. My husband built it and I decorated it. It has a small opening on the front. We make the time to fill this special box throughout the year. Notes of love. Notes of gratitude. Notes of noticing fill the box. On New Years Eve we open the box and take out all these special notes and we read them together.

I love doing this. It warms my heart to hear how much the little things I do mean to my husband. He loves to hear how much I appreciate what he does for me. It keeps us encouraged. It helps us to be always looking for the good looking for the positive. It is a great way to communicate our gratitude. It is a truly loving gesture.

I am forever grateful for the man that HE gave to me.

My best friend.

My gift.