One woman always put a glass of ice water by the bed for her husband because she knew he woke up thirsty in the night and didn't usually remember to get a glass before retiring.

Another often stopped to bring his wife a cup of specialty coffee even though he didn't drink anything with caffeine. Someone else left small surprises in their partners' running shoes like funny headbands or sunscreen.

My husband brings me bags of M & M's (my favorite candy), sends me flowers for no real reason and buys very thoughtful gifts.

More importantly than the gifts he brings is the fact that he knows how I like my coffee and almost always sets the number of creamers and sweeteners I use by my cup.

I think one of the reasons I married him was because I overheard him tell my daughters that he always knows if I really like something I pick it up and look at it.

"If she doesn't actually pick it up she doesn't really care about it, even if she says she likes it," he said.

He was absolutely right.

It's easy to find fault with the people we love. Dishes that don't get rinsed or dirty socks on the floor can be pretty annoying. But, it seems to me it is much easier to just pay attention to the little everyday things that are important to our loved ones. It doesn't cost much and only requires a little bit of attention and the return on investment is huge.

Sometimes, I wish I could just pick up my husband and look at him.