Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
~Psalm 90:14
Mornings ~ they can be hard. Demanding work schedules, getting children up and ready for their day, or perhaps deciding what we will do with the next 8 hours if we are retired. If we are married, mornings are crucial in setting the tone for the day and our relationship. How do you and your spouse greet one another each morning? What are the first words that roll off your tongue?
Mornings are the perfect opportunity to express fondness and admiration to our spouse ~ one of Drs. John and Julie Gottman’s strategies for deepening marital friendship. Morning greetings can be very simple: “Good Morning Sweetheart” “How did you sleep?” “What are you looking forward to today?”
Sometimes when we focus on our never-ending to do list, the first words out of our mouth may be: “Hey could you pick up some milk on your way home?” “You grab Tommy for soccer practice and I’ll get Emily to her piano lesson.” Before we know it, we have completely forgotten to let our spouse know that we see them, we appreciate them, we like them.
Other times we may be tempted to allow our morning greeting to be one of criticism ~ “Can you put your socks in the hamper for once?!” Our greeting invites defensiveness and retaliation. Or… we may have had a huge fight the night before and decide to serve our spouse the silent treatment as our morning greeting.
Our spouse may work opposite shifts as us, making it difficult to have a meaningful exchange in the morning. The time of day is not the important thing ~ intentionality is ultimately what wins the day. When we do have that moment to greet one another, we have the opportunity to offer words that affirm, encourage, and connect.
My husband Bob loves to greet me each morning with a song chosen from YouTube. It is a creative, fun way to greet me in the morning that never gets old!
Mornings… a gift from God. Greetings ~ a gift to our spouse.