It’s so easy to take one another for granted in marriage. The two most effective words to prevent that from happening are: Thank You. Expressing your gratitude for the things your husband does that may feel routine or minute, is such a simple way to show how much you respect him.

The word respect is defined as a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Women need to feel secure and men need to feel respected. Those are the two most common answers given when the question, “What does it take to make a marriage work?” is asked. Naturally, I’m sure we can all agree that there’s tons more that goes into building and maintaining a successful marriage! At the heart of it though, I’d say those responses are pretty spot on.

There are many ways wives can show their husbands how much they respect and appreciate them; and taking the time to sincerely say, “thank you” can make a world of difference.

Here are some examples to get you inspired, but you can definitely start your own list.

Thank you for working so hard for our family.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for taking out the trash yesterday.

Thank you for praying over us last night before bed.

Thank you for making sure I had gas in my car for the week.

Thank you for taking the kids out for ice cream so I could get some alone time.

Thank you supporting my decision to go back to school.

Thank you for letting me choose what movie we saw this weekend.

Thank you for listening to me vent about my rough day at work.

Thank you making me smile.

Thank you for remembering to put the toilet seat down.

Thank you for calling to let me know you’d be late for dinner today.

Thank you for giving your best to this marriage.

Thank you for being my friend.

Thank you for sharing your heart with me.

To take things a step further, next time you’re out running errands, stop by your local dollar store and grab a set of blank thank you cards. Keep them in your nightstand or somewhere convenient, and at least once a week, write a thank you note to your husband.

Read more to take it to the next level