Because He Values Me

The one thing I appreciate most about my husband is his open appreciation of me.

Six-and-a-half years and four children have probably dimmed the youthful glow of the woman my Roger married; still, he seldom starts a day without telling me how lovely I am when I first awaken in the morning. Even on the sleepiest of mornings his tender words make me feel beautiful.

Though housekeeping can be thankless drudgery, his thoughtfulness chases away both the blues and the blahs.

He makes a point of helping, too. On his days off, he makes the living room his task, getting rid of old newspapers, dusting, vacuuming. Once started, he usually works the vacuum cleaner through the house. Often he stays with me in the kitchen after dinner, sweeping, straightening, and visiting with me while I wash the evening dishes.

We were married after our sophomore year in college; and although it would have been easier to enter into the traditional pattern of “putting him through,” Roger insisted that my mind, education, and aspirations were as important as his. With a thirteen-month-old son and a second child on the way we graduated on the same day.

My Church assignments have often put a strain on our family life. Still, he makes certain the car is available and roadworthy, helps me get dinner over in time, and watches the children while I’m away.

Pregnancy can be a difficult time for a woman, and her confidence in herself can wane; but when her husband constantly assures her that she is doing a beautiful and loving thing, she can feel like a queen—clumsy, perhaps, but beloved and needed.

Roger’s appreciation always goes beyond that awkward time. He has always been present at the birth of our children and from the moment of their first breath has extended to them the same abundant love he shows me.

Though he is the undisputed head of our household, he consults me on all decisions and lets me know he values my counsel. Arguments have grown fewer and fewer as we have come to value one another’s wisdom and have learned to pray together, seeking to follow our Father’s wiser counsel.

Roger never scorns a question or laughs at an idea, and I know I can always expose my deepest thoughts and fears and he will hear them with sensitivity and empathy.

He is my best friend, my wisest counselor, and my strongest support. With his love and support, I can do anything. Susan H. Aylworth, Chico, California

Illustrated by Phyllis Luch