Here's what I gleaned from....

A Wife After God's Own Heart, by Elisabeth George:

#1 First things first - my own relationship with God - how is it? I can't work on anything else til I'm sure that's growing in the direction it needs to be. Like any other relationship, it requires time invested, time spent together, regularly.

#2 DH and I need to be a team, and someone has to be in charge. God said DH is, whether I like that every single day, whether the rest of the world out there agrees or not. He leads, I follow. My job is to help, follow, respect and love him. I don't worry over what his job is, I just do mine. Our team comes before anything else in life, except our own personal relationships with God.

#3 We need to communicate well, and there's always going to be room for improvement. My words are to be soft, sweet, suitable and scant. My son, who is soft-spoken and short on words, told me he decided years ago not to talk much because he realized he'd get in less trouble that way. Smart boy!

#4 Continue to make intimacy a priority, even if it means getting out the calendar and scheduling it. If I'm continually 'too tired' then I need to look at my priorities.....DH has told me he thinks as we get older, there are many areas that fit the 'use it or lose it' bill, and this is one!

#5 My money is his money. If I am wasting my money I'm wasting his money too. How we spend our money is a great megaphone of where our heart is. We decided many years ago, (after I bought a new washer without consulting him) if an item was $100 or more then we'd discuss it with the other before making a purchase. I think that's still a good rule to follow.

#6 Make the bed, every day. Our home is to be a refuge, a welcoming place to come in from the storm of life. Little things make a difference. Again, if I don't 'have time' to care for our home then I need to look at how I'm spending my time. Making beds, making a to-do list every day, planning menus, etc. all honor DH's efforts to provide for us, and make our home a nicer place to spend time.

#7 My relationship with my children continues after they are grown, and comes before all other relationships except that with my husband. I loved reading this! My children, and their spouses and their children - time, money, prayer - all are to continue to be invested in them. Elisabeth called it, 'befriending' them. This was one of my favorite chapters in the book, especially now that our children are grown and a delight to spend time with.

#8 Serving the Lord falls after my personal relationship with God, my husband, my children. I'm to make sure I'm baking cookies that stay at home before I'm busy baking cookies to deliver to VBS. This one area is so easy to mess up, and I'd love some redo on it. I don't get any do-overs, but I can look at my calendar today and be sure it's in order. I'm to serve, but not at a level that causes me to neglect higher priorities.

Overall, great book, very readable, very encouraging!