Love is Support

There are many kinds of support in a loving relationship and many ways to support one another.  Sometimes it is stepping up when your partner is ill, taking over his or her responsibilities for them.  Sometimes it is simply not adding to their burden.  I recall a husband who invited the new neighbors over for dinner on the same night his wife came home from the hospital with child number six.  What was he thinking!  Support can be as simple as putting things away after you use them, cleaning up after yourself; running an errand or picking up milk on the way home from work.  It is grabbing the trash as you walk out the door in the morning, and replacing the bag.  It is greeting him when he gets home from work; without dumping on him as soon as he walks in the door.  It can be as dramatic as pitching in, a lot, while your spouse goes back to school, or letting your aging mother-in-law move in.  It is knowing when to give her a hug and when to give her space.  It is honoring his need for quiet man-cave time after work;  it is being frugal with money.  It is asking your spouse every day, “What can I do for you today to make your day easier?” Or, “How can I show my love to you today?”  It is not complaining when the answer requires more of you than you expected.  Support is a delicate balance of give and take; more on this day after tomorrow.