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

It was time to put up the outdoor Christmas lights, a process I have completed on this same house for 34 years. Finding the bin labeled “Outdoor Christmas Lights” was easy. Opening and looking inside I saw 2 strands of lights carefully rolled up… each with a note attached. The notes were written TO me… BY me! They were instructions on where each strand went and exactly where to start.

When taking down last year’s lights, I must have remembered that the year before, I had to re-figure the installation process, all over again, from the year before THAT. So last year I wrote myself a reminder note! Now I was looking at, what looked like, a great plan! Until I tried finding the ends to unwind the strands. Realizing round lights don’t untangle well, I noted that I need another note!

I was alone in the dark, except for the tangled bright lights I held in my hands. Having a purpose, a plan, experience, additional age and having a tougher time seeing and climbing the ladder, I started talking to myself. I guess I could call that pondering. You know… like Mary did after she saw those crazy shepherds walk in on her unannounced! Up until that time she had fearfully run and hid.

Laying in the dark, in a sheep pen 80 miles from home, she held a baby who wasn’t even her husband’s! Suddenly, shepherds came in talking about an angel visit with news about HER baby being ‘The Savior!’ I can sense her thinking, ‘note to self… this is a LOT bigger than previously thought. What exactly was it that Angel told me again?’ Pondering, wondering… ‘hmmm… what now?’  It says, she ‘Treasured!’

I’ve been doing a lot of pondering this Christmas season… and it’s only just started. The world is a WHOLE lot stranger than when I was a kid, and I even lived through the Kennedy’s, the Vietnam and Civil Rights wars and BUNCH of stuff since! It is obvious I can see a WHOLE lot more backwards than I can see ahead. So there, in the darkness, I pondered… with ‘The Savior’ right beside, inside and with me.

I can tell you that trying to untangle Christmas lights is a whole lot easier than trying to untangle life. I found myself slowing down and taking my time as I pondered where I’ve come from, what I’ve discovered, where I am and where I’m going. I have no idea how many Christmases I’ll have at this house. But I DO know I will JOYFULLY be celebrating Christmas… FOREVER! How about YOU? And on what do YOU ponder?