Call Her Baby!
Nikki, our Vietnamese manicurist, overheard Carl say: “Donna, what do you think about that?” Nikki piped up as she was doing my nails: “You don’t call her Donna! You call her Baby!” I turned and looked at Carl and said, “She’s right. I’m not Donna to you. I am “Baby!” We laughed about it because we do call each other pet names most of the time.
Today we celebrate our marriage’s 6-months-aversary! We are still getting to know each other. I’ll be honest – we are still in the curious mode and try to be as considerate as we can be to learning each other’s likes and dislikes.
You can imagine how he must do his best to adapt to my early morning blog-writing. And I am getting used to his ability to sleep way more hours than me. And, then there’s the temperature in our place. He is cold natured, so he wants the heat turned up and, Lord, have mercy, I need it cool.
Seriously, it has been a beautiful six months that I never planned or expected. Then came God Who opened my eyes and heart to love again. Tonight, we’ll be going to our favorite restaurant, Truluck’s, where we celebrated Valentine’s and our three-months-dating-aversary a year ago. I think that is when our “friendship” took a leap of faith to “maybe” something more.
Like any newly married couple, we are still getting to know each other as we continue to grow in our communications and our love for each other. That is our daily goal. Proverbs 16:24 says: “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Doesn’t that sound delectable?
I’ve grown to realize I must always be asking myself: “Are the words I am speaking building up or tearing down?” Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Goodness! I desire to be that wise woman of building a rock-solid home and relationship.
How about our talk? Is our conversation with others marked by kindness or crankiness, building up or nagging? What matters most are our words that matter to God as much as they do to our loved one, friend, co-worker, or boss. Our words matter.
I am purposing to check my heart AND my mouth daily. That means I must be on guard 24/7. Our hearts need recalibration to align them with God’s heart. We do that by spending time with Him and His Word, and in prayer and praise. It takes thought and energy, but the benefits of close relationships are totally worth it.
Let’s make plans for some sweet talk with our loved ones today. Let’s be intentional. Let’s be sure to coat our words with support, encouragement, tenderness, and love to all those around us. It may not be easy, but it will be worth the effort.
Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”