The Thank You Game

A Saturday morning when I was away, Eric raked up all those leaves while watching the kids

Eric and I have a little ritual that we do in the evenings. It's not something we consciously do, but as I've thought about it, it happens nearly every day. We "play the thank you game." It usually starts after dinner when Eric thanks me for the meal, often multiple times, and then he'll thank me for something else I've done that day. Then I'll thank him in turn for something he did as well. We go back and forth thanking each other for tasks we've done around the house, things we've done to take care of the kids, or errands we've run that day. We have always given thanks for each other in our couple prayers at night, but this is a way we can communicate back and forth openly with each other. It helps us to appreciate what the other is doing to contribute to our family, and it motivates us to keep serving each other.

This quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley comes to mind:

“I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. Any man who will make his wife’s comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come.”

Eric and I have definitely found that in our marriage, gratitude brings happiness.