A homeschooling mom of five who chose to start greeting her husband at the door every day after work, to share a private moment, had no idea of the massive impact it would have.
Bethany Rose, 35, met her husband, Jake Rose, 37, on a road trip to New England. They tied the knot in her grandparents’ backyard in eastern Pennsylvania in the spring of 2011. The couple has five children together, aged 8, 6, 3, 2, and 6 months, and is raising their family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Rose, a content creator and Christian podcast host, was always eager to greet her husband when he returned home from his job in robotics but noticed he often had to come find her in their busy house. One day, she decided to start greeting him at the door.
“I didn’t know if it would actually be different for him on the receiving end since he knew I was excited to see him either way,” she told The Epoch Times. “I was obviously completely wrong! You can literally see Jake’s demeanor and response change as he begins to recognize this new greeting at the door and anticipate it.
“He told me he would begin to think about me being at the door on his drive home from work and get excited. He said that seeing me first, prior to embracing the evening rush of our family time, was this tiny moment of ‘just us together.’ Choosing to pause five seconds from making dinner, and choosing to make myself available to my husband, lit up his face more than I could have anticipated.”
Small Acts of Love
Ms. Rose recorded these daily greetings but didn’t notice the profound outward change in both herself and her husband until weeks later when she watched the footage back. She shared a montage on her Instagram page, and the response was immediate.
“I can usually gauge how well a post will do,” she said. “I knew my immediate audience would appreciate the reel and think it was cute, but, ten minutes into posting it I turned to Jake and said, ‘This post is taking off!’”
Ms. Rose suspects her reel went viral for two reasons. First, it was neither staged nor planned and captured a real change in both herself and her husband. Second, viewers began to see what a small, simple act could potentially do for their own marriages.
“Strong marriages aren’t built because of a weekly date night or a yearly vacation; strong marriages are built on the tiny, ordinary acts of service and kindness we choose to give each other,” she said.
Ms. Rose even considered the flip side, noting how much she loves to be greeted by her husband when she returns home from running errands, for help carrying groceries, or just for a moment of undivided attention. Social media users could relate.
“Surprisingly, the positive comments far outweighed the negative,” she said.
“One popular comment that garnered nearly a thousand responses referred to bringing back the ’repressive 1950s,' and inferring my husband would leave me someday. But others left positive ones. One woman said their counselor gave them this as advice to strengthen their marriage; comments poured in with men stating the value this has on their marriage, and simple acts are literally all they want.”
‘A Godly Marriage’
Ms. Rose and her husband have put their shared faith at the forefront of their marriage, and raising kids, since the beginning. She says that when they got married they knew they “wanted to have a godly marriage” and that their life decisions for their marriage, children, and future would be centered around faith and God.“[Being a mother] changed my priorities quickly,” she said. “Nothing will ever top the births of our children, and seeing my husband jump into action each time for very sudden and quick births. ... I had always valued and pursued a solid career and the ability to travel far and wide, but immediately after becoming pregnant the first time, I desired to be home with my son and learned over time how being home could also be a blessing for my husband and our marriage.”
Her husband’s return from work marks the transition from work and homeschooling time to family time for the busy mom of five. The couple also ensures that their kids head to bed early, meaning quality time for themselves to help keep their partnership strong.
Ms. Rose said: “We live in a ’me-centered' culture. Everyone wants to know what is in it for themselves. When we stop to think about someone else and what makes them smile, what they need, and how we can serve them, marriages not only change, but they thrive.
“Think of all your tiny acts of love for each other throughout the day as the tiny embers that spark the full fire. It isn’t created overnight; it takes effort and time.”
