“Do you love me? Do you want to be my friend? And if you do, well, then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand. I think this is how love goes. Check yes or no.” George Strait

​Can you remember when you first met your significant other?  The butterflies you felt?  When I was dating my husband, I can remember being in his pick up on a date.  He went to the shift gears, and his hand touched my knee.  Oh, I was so excited!  Now, granted, he may have very well done that on purpose.  The longer we’ve been married, the more he’s shared his secrets on his smooth moves…  But the thrill of that flirtation was one of the many reasons that he kept my attraction for him growing. 
On multiple occasions, he would ask me to go for walks at the end of our date and point out constellations in the sky.  It was certainly romantic, but I was about playing hard to get and purposefully held out that first kiss.  Little did I know, he was doing the same thing!  Apparently, we both like to play mind games with each other.  Or maybe we both like to be in control?   Either way it made for a good laugh when we talked about later and discovered we both wanted the kiss, but weren’t willing to be the first to cave!
We did end up kissing eventually, which of course made him fall madly in love with me and determine he couldn’t live without me!  Ha!  We have been happily married for 14 years.  He is my world.  I love him fiercely!  Which made it all the more a shock when I realized I wasn’t prioritizing our relationship.  Well, I was, but not in the way it needed to be.  I think the older we get, the more responsibilities and commitments we find ourselves in.  It’s never a matter of choosing one thing over your spouse.  You can’t choose not be a parent, go to work, etc.  However, I recognized that I fell back on a crutch of my spouse will understand.  We’re both tired.  He’ll understand that I just want to go to sleep.  We’re on a budget.  He’ll understand that we can’t afford to go on a date.  Settling into complacency, even when your intentions are full of love and good motives for your overall life, is not cohesive to a thriving marriage. 
This month (and forever in fact!), I challenge you to be intentional about prioritizing your spouse.  Do the simple things that you did when dating, that made love fun and exciting.  What were your moves that kept your partner intrigued?  How can you go the extra mile to show them that you love them?  It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy.  Just making simple steps to show you are prioritizing their importance to you, can go a long way.