Men and Women: Enjoying the Difference**
Recently I went to my car to drive into town to do a few errands and discovered that my dear husband had washed it, filled it with gas, and hung a lovely lavender-scented air freshener over the rear-view mirror. I am very sensitive to certain kinds of odors among many other allergies, so for him to dare to put an air freshener in my car is quite a bold move for him. I admit, I loved the soft lavender scent, and smiled at the fact that he had chosen well.
Later, when Hubby and I were both in his truck, I thanked him for the care he had taken to my car and especially for the lavender air freshener. He told me he knew he would have trouble getting the right scent, but he remembered that when we were living in Nova Scotia, I had desperately wanted to visit the lavender farm with its delicate purple blooms strewn across acres of fields which attract beautiful butterflies. He said he remembered how much I had enjoyed the scent of those fields and the fun we had that day, so he thought it would be okay to get lavender for my car.
As he told me the story, I imagined him standing in the automotive section of the store in front of a myriad of scented fresheners. Knowing my sensitivity to scents, and knowing the irritation I would have in getting into a car filled with an undesirable smell, he remembered our day together. My heart was bursting with pride and love as I thought about how he carefully considered my needs, remembered our lovely excursion and made the connection of what would be just right for me. These are things of which happy marriages are made! I was delighted and I told him so.
His response to my joy was less than lavender! Nor could he understand my eyes which were misty with the joy bubbling over from my heart. To him, this was no big deal - just a logical conclusion based on a recalled memory. For me it was a romantic stroll down memory lane bordered with lavender blooms and purple butterflies that resulted in a caring manifestation of his love for me. He put the right-scented air freshener in my car!
That is one of the beautiful differences between men and women!
** The late, Dr. Larry Crabb, (July 13, 1944 - Feb. 28, 2021) wrote, Men and Women: Enjoying the Difference in 1993. An enlarged edition was published twenty years later in 2013. The book has been used at a counseling text, in marriage counseling, and for Bible study groups across the country. It is available at Amazon.