If you can't say something nice....

I found out today that my husband takes things very personally. He doesn't take things personally in the aspect of being offended, but he bears the burdens of our marriage very close to his heart and takes our struggles very seriously.



We had something happen with our housing. The landlord promised it would be ready by the first of the year, and now he's pushed that back a week. He offered us another space that is available, but it's in an apartment complex that is up a flight of stairs, no yard, and I'm fairly certain it's not appropriate for my two beasts (pictures to the right). I know, ferocious, right??


Chip is this white spotted beauty you see first. He is almost 4 years old, and I rescued him from a humane society. He was the last of his litter to be adopted and I knew he was the puppy for me before I even met him. He's a 60 pound sweetheart that loves attention. He's very affectionate and I think he considers himself part human.

This is CJ (Cracker Jack). The story behind the name is simply this: I was leaving church one night and was at a "T" stop. I see a box to my right and didn't think much of it until I saw a little black thing jump inside the box. It scared me, so I unbuckled my seat belt, put the car in park, and paryed, "Dear, Jesus, please don't let it be a skunk".  Inside was this puppy (Picture on the left). This was the night he was found. My one friend decided to name him Cracker Jack, CJ for short. He was a surprise inside the box!


CJ is a whopping 3 pounds and a fully grown 7-month-old puppy that likes to beat up on Chip.  They definitely make things interesting.

So, given these two darlings are the "children" of our family, we need to make sure they'll be taken care of.  Being upstairs would probably not be the best idea for them.

Bobby had to talk to me about this, but considering this is the first time he's really had to confront me with an issue that couldn't be resolved instantly, he was afraid to tell me. I take a few deep breaths, and say, "well, this ticks me off".

Out of nowhere, he get defensive with a "Sweetie, I'm trying here! Please..." I had no idea he assumed it was about him! I had to apologize quickly and explain what it was that REALLY upset me. It wasn't him, it wasn't the landlord, and it wasn't even the one who wronged us. I was upset at the situation and how Satan was trying to take control again.

I know that if my husband takes these things to heart so quickly, there are other husbands out there that bear the weight of the world. And we have no idea it's happening. Talk to your husbands. They listen to our wants and desires, and they want to give us the moon, the stars, and the castle on a hill. And when we get mad or upset, sometimes they automatically take that emotionally and interpret that as "I did something wrong to make her feel that way". I'm learning that transparency and honesty is key from the start when it comes to emotions. If you're upset at the cable company, say, "I am so mad at "abcxyz"  because of "xyzabc" and I..." (you get the point). If you just say, "I'm mad", it leaves the point very broad and open for misinterpretation.

My challenge for today: talk with your husband to see where his heart is in the middle of a stressful time. You might be surprised what you hear....