Welcome to the third day of the challenge!

Did you remember to start the day with the “Prayer of Abandonment”? If not, go ahead . . . I’ll wait.

Starting today, we will take up the “heart” of the challenge by focusing each day on a quality or charism that is essential to a happy marriage. You’ll find that (more or less) I’ve arranged them in alphabetical order. (If you think I’ve missed any, go ahead and shout it out in the comments!)

Today’s theme is “acceptance.”  As you read this little reflection, what came to mind for you? Do you ever find your children imitating you in uncomfortable ways, revealing your tendency to nag or criticize or put down? I’ve heard it said that for every negative comment we make to a loved one, it takes five positive or encouraging comments to “neutralize” the effects of the negative. FIVE. Consider: how depleted would your love bank be if every negative comment was a withdrawal, and every positive a deposit . . . if the withdrawals were five times the size of the deposits?

What can you do to practice the gift of acceptance, to start filling up those love banks today?