During the season of Lent, I used to give up things as a sacrifice, but it was usually chocolate, coffee or dessert.  This year, I tried something new, based on your book “The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands.”  Even though my husband is a good man, it seemed he wasn’t able to find anything positive to say about me.  So, I decided to compliment him once a day during Lent.  It had to be sincere and different each day.  I knew this would be hard, because I had no problem being critical of him, so finding something good to say every day would be a challenge. 

The first week was rough, because I had become bitter during our 25-year marriage, but I made eye contact with him each day, complimented him and waited for a reaction.  Then something unexpected happened. After the first few days, he stopped, smiled back at me, and thanked me.  Our affection toward each started changing in a beautiful way, and I found all kinds of things to compliment him about.  We were falling into a deeper love.  Now that Lent is over, I have no intention of stopping. I’m becoming a better wife and I have a wonderful husband who I now appreciate.  I was so surprised that this worked, and I wish I had done it years ago.  It has had a tremendously positive impact on our marriage.

Barbara