Children thrive on love

I wanted to share a little piece of heaven that my son gave to me today.

Last summer, my husband was speaking at the NACFLM conference at Marquette. While he was giving his three-hour workshop to train marriage leaders, I walked all five of our children down to the Milwaukee Public Museum, and we got to see some spectacular displays. My favorite was the old-fashioned town. The kids liked the Dinosaur IMAX movie.

When we got back, we still had some waiting to do, so we looked at all the table displays that were set up. My little four-year-old son spotted some matching buttons on a Marriage Encounter table that read "I love my wife" and "I love my husband." He asked me to read them to him. Then he smiled and said, "you and Daddy need these."

I hesitated because, let's face it, I do love my husband, but I don't know if I could wear a button that declares it to the world.

Nevertheless, there was no talking him out of it. I purchased the buttons...the set, because if I had to get one, so did my hubby. We brought home where they now sit in a bin of assorted items atop my dresser.

Today he found it and remembered what it said.

"Mommy, you need to wear this. It says, 'I love Daddy'. And you love each other."

He looked at me with the brightest smile, grinning ear to ear.

Children are thrilled that their parents love each other. It builds them up everyday to see Mom kiss Dad or to hear Dad say "I love you" to Mom. It reminds them that they are loved with an unbreakable bond, and it reveals to them the unquenchable fire of God's love for them.

Please share this with your spouse. We all need to be reminded about how our marriage relationship affects our families, our communities, our countries, our world. And pray for grace-filled marriages. We need them more than ever.