"Closed for Maintenance"

Do you have a sign that says "Closed for Maintenance" that is readily available to hang on your front door when needed? I think it might be something to consider. This morning I was busy in my home office, designing my day when I heard a bunch of clatter in our front entry way. I looked down my two-story stairwell to find my husband taking the windows out of his office so he could wash them. He hadn't mentioned it to me and just proceeded to gather the cleaning supplies. I was glad it wasn't a job I had to 'nag' him to do, so I went down and told him I would help him. We spent the morning cleaning a few windows and catching up in areas that we hadn't taken time to discuss lately. It wasn't anything earth-shattering, it was the normal maintenance a house needs but I found it was the 'maintenance' that we needed to reconnect again through conversation and an unhurried agenda.
I was once again struck by how far my husband and I have come since our early days of marriage. Back then, Dean would never have started washing the windows on his own; I would have nagged him to do so; I wouldn't have given up my schedule to help him and he would have insisted on help from me if the windows really needed to be cleaned. I wouldn't have made use of that time together to 'talk'; we probably both would have been mad at each other and I wouldn't have considered 'maintenance' to be a virtue in sustaining a home or a relationship...I would have considered it hard work...something to avoid. 'Maintenance' doesn't just happen. I have had to work on my attitude and intentionally move toward maintaining my home and my marriage on a regular basis to get it to the place where it has become a habit. Can I entice you to make up a "Closed for Maintenance" sign for you and your home? Write me back in 20 years and I bet you will tell me it's one of the best things you did to build your home!!