Blessedly Served

   The Husband gave me the gift of gifts yesterday. It even felt better than the roses, vintage diamond earrings and bracelet, sweet cards, clothing, and perfume he has given me over the course of our thirty-seven year old marriage: he cleaned the kitchen. It wasn't perfunctory. It wasn't superficial. It was a foot-washing love gift of a cleaning. He ran the dishwasher and then unloaded it, hand-washed something like 90 pieces of flat silver (that's what happens when you have 30+ people for lunch), hand-washed 25 goblets, and all manner of silver serving pieces. He totally cleaned off the three tables where we dined, put mayonnaise on the water rings on the dining room table and emptied all of the trash. Then he put up all the food (my refrigerator looks even crazier than it did before Easter) in nice little plastic containers and then somehow found time to take plates of food over to our elderly neighbors -- all while I was napping. Granted, it was a three hour fall in the bed, and I don't think I will never get up kind of exhaustion nap. But the man rocked it. I take back everything I have ever said or thought about his kitchen cleaning skills. I will gladly cook the crow, serve it up, and eat it all by myself.
   Last night I was amazed by his gift, this morning it felt even sweeter, like the kiss of the Holy Spirit. I don't know when he has ever loved me so well. I know he has because I still love this man dearly after thirty-seven years of marriage, but this was a completely selfless gift. He did not do the clean-up his way, he did it my way. It's one of the hardest things in a marriage. Letting go of self and truly serving another from the other person's perspective of his or her need. How often do we serve others the way that WE want to be served, instead of taking up the towel and meeting them where they are? I should know. I do it all the time.
    I learned something this Easter from my husband's gift. I learned that I am not too old to change. If he can love me like this, then I, too, can love him and others like this. It was such a selfless gift. I also want to kiss his dish-pan hands in gratitude. Because of him I am not going to be enslaved to a day of cleaning up the mess. I am headed out to my porch with a cup of coffee in one hand and my Names of God Bible Study in the other. All because I have been oh so blessedly served....which makes me oh so blessedly thankful to the Lord for this day and for this good man.

Sure looks like love in a bottle to me!