#RelationshipBuilders #CreateYourNow #LoveAndMarriage

We love our spouses. Deeply. But a lot of times, the people closest to us become the easiest to overlook. Not because we stop caring — but because life gets loud. The kids need something. Work demands more. The house needs attention. Dinner needs to happen. And somewhere between the school pickup line and the last load of laundry, we forget that the person handing us the folded towels is also the person who chose us. And keeps choosing us. Every single day.

We don’t mean to take them for granted. But it happens — because life happens.

So let’s slow down and talk about this word: celebrate.

We hear “celebrate” and we tend to think big. A party. A toast. A grand gesture. But the word itself simply means to acknowledge something with praise or attention. To honor. To make known. That shifts everything, doesn’t it? Because celebration doesn’t require a venue or a budget. It requires awareness. It requires you to pause long enough in the middle of the ordinary to recognize what — and who — is right in front of you.

Proverbs 31:29 says, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” And husbands, Ecclesiastes 4:9 reminds us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” These aren’t words reserved for special occasions. They are words for Tuesday night at the kitchen table. For Saturday morning over coffee. For right now.

Celebration, in the context of marriage, is simply choosing to notice — out loud.

So why don’t we do it more often? Because it requires intentionality. And intentionality takes effort when you’re running on fumes. But here’s the quiet truth no one tells you: the marriages that thrive aren’t the ones with the grandest gestures. They’re the ones with the most consistent small ones. The ones where both people feel seen — not just on the highlight reel, but in the ordinary rhythm of life.

So how do we get there? How do we move from accidentally overlooking to intentionally celebrating?

The K.I.S.S. ~ Celebrate on purpose!

How do you recognize your spouse now?

What would it look like if you made celebrating your spouse a regular part of your life — not because something extraordinary happened, but because they are extraordinary to you?

Here are three things you can start doing today to celebrate your spouse:

1. Speak it and be specific.

It’s one thing to say, “Thanks for everything you do.” It’s another to say, “I noticed you stayed up late to finish that project, and I want you to know it didn’t go unnoticed.”

Specific words land differently. They tell your spouse, I was paying attention. You matter enough for me to notice the details.

Don’t wait for the perfect moment. The imperfect, chaotic moment is often the one that means the most.

2. Protect what you praise in private by honoring it in public.

How you talk about your spouse when they’re not in the room matters. How you talk about them when they are in the room matters even more.

Celebrate them in front of your kids. Speak well of them to your friends. Let them overhear you saying something kind about them on the phone.

Public honor is one of the most underused and most powerful ways to make your spouse feel valued. It doesn’t have to be a speech. A simple, “I’m really grateful for him,” or “She’s an incredible mom,” goes further than you think. So elevate your spouse.

3. Show up in their love language, not yours.

This is where celebration gets personal. Maybe your spouse doesn’t need words. Maybe they need your time. Your undivided, phone-down, eyes-on-them time. Maybe they need an act of service, the dishes done without being asked, the car filled up before Monday. Maybe it’s a small, thoughtful gift that says, “I was thinking about you in the middle of my day.”

Celebrate them the way they receive love, not the way you prefer to give it. That’s where real connection lives.

Marriage is a gift. But gifts that go unacknowledged start to feel like obligations. And obligations feel heavy.

“Don’t let the weight of routine flatten the gratitude in your heart.” ~ Kristianne Wargo

Your spouse isn’t perfect — and neither are you. But they’re yours. And that is worth celebrating.

You don’t need a reason. You don’t need a holiday. You just need to open your mouth, open your eyes, and let the person beside you know: I would choose you again.

Start today. Start small. Start on purpose. Celebrate your spouse!

“Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!“