A bouquet that he'll love.

"Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places." - Deuteronomy 3:29

What's the male equivalent for a bouquet of flowers?

This was the question that popped into my head yesterday morning.

Per Google, some heterosexual men do actually enjoy a woman sending them a bouquet of flowers...but I know my husband.

A dozen roses wrapped with a dainty bow might not have had the intended effect...

My husband had a pretty rough day at work on Thursday and I was on a mission to do something for him to help lift his spirits. He is THE most thoughtful man and brings me lots of "just because" flowers and gifts. I wanted to do something like that to delight him and let him know that I was thinking of him.

Alexa: Play "Cater 2 U" by Destiny's Child.

Around 11am as I was jotting down plans for my workday, an idea came to me: I was going to make him a "man bouquet". No flowers - just a basket of little things that I know he loves.

I ran to Walmart at the end of my workday to pick up the items. With my husband being a creature of habit, it was actually fairly easy to come up with my shopping list:

1. A bottle of Welch's sparkling cider - he's been obsessed lately since it gives the feeling of soda without actually being soda.

2. A bag of Classic Lay's Potato's Chips - though I tease him often because he prefers plain chips over flavored, he loves them.

3. Candy for his sweet tooth - lately, he's been loving Airheads mini bars and Kit Kats.

4. Some sort of smell good - if there's one way to reach my man's heart, it's through his nose. This man loves a good candle! I settled on a small Iced Caramel Macchiato scented one.

I probably could've just given him the items in hand and he would've been happy, but I wanted to present them to him with more care and effort. So, with a quick run to Dollar Tree afterwards, I was able to purchase a gray basket, some paper filling, and a "basket bag" and make him a one-of-a-kind basket just for him.

Voila: a "man bouquet" for the man that I love!

It ended up going over so well.

I walked in the door and he was already home and settled from work. When I showed him the basket, , his eyes LIT up! The assortment of items in the basket could've only be meant for him.

He quickly pulled me over to the couch with a loving embrace and I gave him the card to read with some words to encourage him. Gratefully, he'd had a better day than yesterday, but he was beyond appreciative of all of the effort that I'd put in - for no special occasion - just to make him feel better.

Let's just say, his spirits were thoroughly lifted after my surprise!

So, from this experience - which I'm so grateful to God that He placed this idea in my head - I have a few takeaways for us married folk:

(Honestly, they could apply to dating and singles, as well)

First, I know that there's so many examples of how women should be spoiled by their men but, ladies: we can't forget to show our men how much we love them as well. Maybe, not in the same ways, but show your appreciation in ways that are meaningful to them.

Second, be attentive and act. Jesus is compassionate towards us. Compassion not only means that He pays attention to what we need, but He's compelled to act on our behalf. As Christians, we are called to be the same way towards one another, especially with our spouses. I only had this idea for the "man bouquet" because I noticed my husband was down and felt lead to encourage him. It was probably even more meaningful because it wasn't prompted by a special occasion - it was just because I cared for him.

Lastly, you get what you pour in. If you're married and reading this post, I'm sure you're going to nod your head after I say this:

Marriage is work!

Lifelong, worthwhile work.

From nearly 2 years of marriage, I can tell you that much of the work involves becoming more selfless in order to strengthen your union. What I've noticed is that when my husband and I are both intentional about filling each other's love tank, we thrive. It's so easy to give to the one we love, when we're receiving this love in return.

Case in point: when my husband felt appreciated in his love languages (words of affirmation/acts of service), he felt compelled to give me more affection that I can stand in mine (physical touch/quality time).

Again, these takeaways can be applied to, really, any person that we love. My Grandma turned 72 on Tuesday and I went out of my way to make sure she had an amazing day filled with things to bring her joy, including a bag full of Tabitha Brown items and a banana split from her favorite ice cream spot!

Guess you can say that I've just been in the space to love on the folks that I love.