Pondering

Being a mom is hard, so rewarding, but hard. Lately, God has placed a verse on my heart and I think I understand why. The verse is

Luke 2: 19 "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

I feel like all I do lately is complain about the four amazing blessings God gave me. I complain about their mess, about how tired they make me, and more. What I need to do is treasure this time. I have four children, in four age groups, with four sets of needs, but more importantly, four sets of wonderful experiences to treasure. I have decided to start looking for the things to treasure and ponder in my heart. I am just going to start with a list here of things that I want to remember forever. I think that is what Mary was doing. I think she realized that this time would go so fast and it would be hard to hold on to all the little memories, so she was trying to engrave them on her heart so they would be there for her to remember, especially during the stressful moments.

Here are a few of the things I want to treasure- I am just starting with one for each child, but I know there are so many more.

Jonathon- how he blushes when we mention girls. This is a special age and right now he is still my little boy, but any day now, he will wake up all grown.
Grace- how she needs hugs. She thrives on them. I hope the day never comes that she doesn't want to give me hugs.
Ella- the wonder on her face when she listens to the stories I make up at bedtime. It is one of the most beautiful things.
Matthew-the way he reaches up and touches my face when he is nursing. I am very sad that this part of being a mom is coming to an end. It is so special.

I pray that God will help me see the small treasures everyday and remind me to ponder them in my heart so that I never forget how wonderful a calling it is to be a mom.