The Joys of the Season - Christmas 2009

Well, our house was buzzing this Christmas season with friends and family. I find that Christmas feels much different as an adult than I remember it feeling as a child. I have fond memories of simply sensing the nearness of Christmas, especially with that first snowfall and the scent of spritz cookies being baked. But now as an adult AND parent, Christmas is just different. Even though the wonder of Christmas is now passed to my little ones, I've begun to be even more deeply blessed by simply pondering what this season is all about.
One thing that I continually returned to this season was Mary and her "pondering." If you read in Luke 2, many things happen to Mary and Joseph. First, they have to travel to Bethlehem for the census. Mary is not just pregnant, she is VERY pregnant. Not only that, but she goes into labor while they are there. To make things more wild, they must resort to a cattle stall for shelter. And to top it all off, shepherds came to see the Child and worship. Now, having four children myself I can sort of imagine Mary's emotions. I've been on trips while I was 7 months pregnant and did not enjoy the journey. I much prefer to be near home when it comes time for the baby to be born. AND, I like to have a room and a bed! Not only that, but I like a little privacy after my baby is born, so that I can hold him and kiss him, and unwind. Knowing what my emotional state is while pregnant, I'd likely be an emotional rollercoaster. No doubt tears would freely flow, but also frustation, grumpiness, and maybe impatience with the situation. We aren't told exactly what Mary felt, but we are given a small glimpse at her "reaction." She had the presence of mind to treasure up all that was happening and ponder them. As I thought about this startling reaction from the mother of Christ it began to make sense. Really, the only course she could take to process all that was happening was to stop, store them in her heart and thoughts, and think about them in little bits.
There's a lot to learn from Mary. The lesson I discovered this season is to stop, collect, and ponder. Life goes fast enough, so it makes sense to react this way. As I've tried to implement this stopping/collecting/pondering, I have found that I can savor and enjoy the little blessings that the Lord gives each day.