We can easily minimize the fragility of our relationships.

It can be unnerving to acknowledge that our most intimate relationships can be the most vulnerable, the most easily bruised or broken, the most challenging to maintain. However, recognizing that these close partnerships in life are fragile is also confessing that they are indeed precious, meriting attention, respect, protection, and when cracked or broken, worthy of repair.

When we choose not to recognize the fragility of these relationships, we can easily miss a valuable opportunity to nurture the love and connection. We can also easily ignore the signs of decline and decay. How many couples admit to being in a place of disrepair and not knowing how they got there?

Take a moment to look carefully at your marriage or partnership - consider the most delicate areas, not as "weak" but as exquisite and intricate, something to be valued, tenderly embraced, and nurtured.

How have you been tender with your partner? How have approached your partner most gingerly? What can you do today to repair what has been broken? How can you embrace a most precious gift with love and adoration?