Hi Love..

Today’s reading is about greetings. Apparently (and I had to go look this up for myself) the Bible gives great weight to the way in which we greet one another. I Peter 5:14 says “Greet one another with a kiss of love” (this is a favorite verse of jr. high youth groups to justify kissing, I’m sure). We are supposed to greet everyone (even our enemies) with kindness and graciousness. Jesus commanded us on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Sometimes our spouses can seem like enemies, yet it’s easier to be kind to strangers at the supermarket than it is to be kind to our own partners. “Consider the difference it would make in your spouse’s day if everything about you expressed the fact that you were really, really glad to see them”. Sometimes you’re not… and that’s when love becomes a choice. This is where leading your heart rather than following your heart comes in.

I’ve had this played out over and over in my life. One of the things that helped cement my relationship with Eric is his constant use of the greeting “Hello beautiful”. Even just reading it on IM gave my whole day a lift in some of the darkest times of my life. It was an acknowledgement that someone valued me. More recently, there have been times when I’m frustrated or angry or just plain out of sorts, and the phone rings and I hear ‘hey babe’ and half of that frustration and anger just melts away. It reaffirms that I am loved, that I matter and it is gentle and loving, and always heartfelt. I appreciate that so much.

This is really a simple task. Choose to greet your significant other (or your children or your parents or whomever you meet today) with a warm greeting. See how much better it makes you feel, and how it blesses their day.