I began reading a wonderful book on marriage this weekend called "Love & Respect". It was written by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and now, he and his wife travel all over teaching the concept to couples. I am not even half way through yet and can recommend it highly for any couple! The concept seems so simple, but it is something I missed for a long time in my own marriage. The one thing a woman desires most is for her husband to show his love for her. The one thing a man desires most is for his wife to respect him. Of course, he desires her love also but respect must come first. I thought about how when my husband and I were dating and first married, I thought I needed him for everything and was very open about my admiration of him. As the years passed, I became more independent and began taking him for granted. I began taking over leadership of our family when our children were born and made him feel like I needed him less and less. I didn't realize how this made him feel like I no longer respected him until over the last year, we made the commitment to truly work hard on our marriage. When I began to show him respect as the leader of our house and family and stopped taking him for granted - it was so much easier for both of us to show love to one another. Making small everyday changes in the things we say and do, can make a HUGE impact on marriage!