Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is very special.

I’m excited to share with you some important insights from my friends, Bob and Roxann Andersen who have a very important marriage ministry and are the authors of The Marriage Dance: Moving Together as One. Since being grateful for our spouse can be difficult at times, I appreciated their ideas for being reminded of what we can focus on. I was particularly impressed with the number of things they thought of! You may not be able to apply every one of them to your spouse, but you can make adjustments as needed. For instance, my husband, Larry, has never had to dispose of a mouse behind our living room couch. But he did take charge of calling out the exterminator when we discovered a wasp nest within our walls. Yikes! So, see which apply to your marriage and put a comment on my blog sharing what you most appreciate about your spouse. That will encourage us all.

You can read about Bob and Roxann at www.TheMarriageDance.com or contact them at [email protected]. They are on Facebook at:  www.Facebook.com/TheMarriageDance. They send out a little note of encouragement for marriages that I find very inspiring. You can sign up for that at both spots.

And Bob and Roxann are authors, speakers, parents and grandparents. They live in Riverside, California. They would love to hear from you.

Here is Bob and Roxann’s sharing:

Philippians 4:8 tells us to let our minds dwell on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy. In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we each did some thinking about the good things and the specifics of why we are thankful for each other. Here is what we wrote:

Bob, thank you for . . .

1. Thank you for being absolutely consistent about talking to God each morning and reading His Word. I am the beneficiary of the difference it has made in your life.
2. Thank you for having a heart that wants to serve God and finish well.
3. Thank you for carrying the responsibility of our finances on your shoulders.
4. Thank you for your willingness to be the “bad cop” when we had three teenage daughters.
5. Thank you for disposing of the mouse that chose to die behind our living room couch.
6. Thank you for emptying the dishwasher because you knew my back was hurting.
7. Thank you for folding the laundry when I was overwhelmed.
8. Thank you for taking me to the ballet for my birthday even though it was probably the last place on earth you wanted to go.
9. Thank you for mowing the lawn so I wouldn’t be embarrassed about it—even when it was really hot outside.
10. Thank you for buying me that hot pink sweater that I liked so much but wouldn’t buy for myself.
11. Thank you for asking me to explain to you why I like sitting on the patio with all the flowers—and then really listening to my answer.
12. Thank you for holding me and letting me cry it out when I was going through a tough time.
13. Thank you for opening my car door for me. I can get out by myself, but I love that you do it.
14. Thank you for protecting me—physically, emotionally, and from vicious telephone and computer phishing schemes.
15. Thank you for demonstrating to our daughters how a real man conducts himself.
16. Thank you for always looking for a win-win solution.
17. Thank you for staying up and holding my hand and watching Blue Bloods with me.
18. Thanks for telling me I’m getting funnier and other encouraging things.
19. Thank you for making sure we always had a leak-proof roof over our heads.
20. Thank you for admitting when you’re wrong—and for not rubbing it in when I am.

Roxann, thank you for . . .

1. Thank you for your commitment to fill our family with peace and harmony rather than chaos.
2. Thank you for not using sex as a weapon.
3. Thank you for keeping track of where everything is.
4. Thank you for spending money wisely and frugally.
5. Thank you for being satisfied with what we have.
6. Thank you for initiating the restoration of our emotional relationship when it was tense or fractured.
7. Thank you for giving me the flexibility to pursue my ideas and even buy books you don’t think we need.
8. Thank you for teaching me to appreciate words, beauty, and story.
9. Thanks for being patient when I make a mistake.
10. Thank you for reminding me of people, events, and information that I shouldn’t have forgotten.
11. Thank you for giving me your honest feedback and your perspective.
12. Thank you for not being obstinate when we disagree.
13. Thank you for supporting my goals.
14. Thank you for reminding me of large house repairs which I tend to put off.
15. Thank you for being my teammate and always trying to make the team better.
16. Thank you for being concerned about my health and safety.
17. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes the expensive item IS best.
18. Thank you that I have never had a question about your loyalty.
19. Thank you for using your childhood wounds to make sure our kids didn’t have them.
20. Thank you that your love for God never wavers.

Now it’s time to make your list. What are the things you are thankful for in your spouse? Be sure to give your list to your spouse and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Now, here’s additional idea for my readers: go back over the Andersen’s list and think, “Even if my spouse isn’t 100{f65765d44da0bdf0a41fa9961eb42045133d946bf3cc534fe1ab1c919c81bf77} this way, can I acknowledge that he/she is sometimes? Maybe I can give thanks for that even though it’s not all the time.”