Cherishing Your Spouse

For this week's topic of Cherishing your Spouse, I wanted to share a story I heard in Sacrament meeting a few years ago.  A member of the high council was speaking and he told the congregation from the first few years of his marriage.  Every night he would go to get ready for bed and would find his toothbrush laying out with toothpaste on it.  He didn't think much of it at first and never mentioned it to his wife.  After a while he started to get irritated, thinking, "Does she not think I can do this myself?" or "Does she think I won't brush my teeth if she doesn't lay it all out for me?" "I am an adult, I can get my own toothbrush and toothpaste ready."  He never said anything to her, but was getting more and more annoyed every night when he would go to bed.  Finally one night he was in a bad mood and snapped at her, "Why do you always do this? Do you think I can't handle putting toothpaste on a toothbrush?"  She was surprised and a little embarrassed that he was so upset about it.  "She said, when we got married, the temple sealer advised us to look for a way to serve each other every day.  I have put toothpaste on your toothbrush everyday since we got married because I want to serve you."  To say the least he was so humiliated.  He couldn't believe he had assumed the worst about his wife and had not even thought twice about the counsel the sealer had given.  He decided right then to follow her example and find a way to serve her every day, but he also decided never to assume anything about her, but to always think and hope for the best.  Haven't we all had a time when we assumed something about a spouse or a loved one and it turned out to be completely different?  I think that if we will look for the best and hope for the best, then the best is what we will see and feel.  I hope this story inspires all to remember that sometimes cherishing our loved ones might just mean giving them the benefit of the doubt.