Helllooooooo.....?

Anybody out there?! I'm here! And I'm blogging! Whew! This is exciting!

I'm not really sure how I've come to this point, but I know that blogging is the next logical step on my journey...I am an emotional person...up and down and excited and reflective and sad and happy and frustrated and appreciative and worried and content...and I find that I need a place to release all of this...the good the bad and the ugly!

You can read all "about me" in my profile! And if you want to know more, just ask! I'm an open book! I love to communicate with people whether it's online, texting, phone, or mail!

So what's with the blog name, you may ask!! "...and pondered them in her heart..." is a reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, Luke 2:19 says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." At this point in the story, Mary has been through ALOT!

• she got engaged
• she got pregnant...BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!
• she was visited by an angel
• she dealt with the uncertainty of Joseph's reaction as well as the reaction from her family and friends
• she travelled to visit her aunt who was OLD and pregnant also...and her aunt miraculously KNEW that Mary was pregnant before Mary opened her mouth
• she travelled a loooong way on a DONKEY to a busy city where she knew NOone...with no hotel reservations...only to find that there were no vacancies...and ended up sleeping in a barn...ALL while 9 months pregnant!! (can you say hormonal?!!)
• she went into labor IN THE BARN...and gave birth among the animals
• she had no family around to help with the baby, but raised him in this strange city...and had visitors from all socioeconomic classes who brought valuable gifts to him...

WOW! I think if I had been Mary, I would have been singing a song like...

"They're coming to take me away haha, They're coming to take me
away...hohohehehaha...To the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time and
I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're
coming to take me away HAHA!!!!" (wierd al yankovich)

But that's probably why God didn't choose me to be the earthly mother of the Messiah!! Cuz, you see, Mary didn't flip out! Instead she "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart!" The good, the bad, and the ugly...she treasured it ALL...knowing that God's divine purpose was being accomplished in and through her! HOW AMAZING is all that?!

Now, I know that God has made me in his image...and he made me unique and special and blah blah blah...but I wanna be like MARY! She wasn't perfect...she was just human. I'm sure she struggeled with breastfeeding, and got frazzled with potty training, and scolded toddler Jesus for making messes, and had good and bad mommy days......and yet she was soooo in tune with God that she didn't BLOW UP! She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She asked God what purpose he had in all these things. She remained faithful. She stayed the course. She knewJesus.

I guess that's how I want people to look at me! I've been thinking alot about my epitaph..you know, what they write about me on my tombstone! Wouldn't it be great if it said:

Kimberly...she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart...she asked God...she remained faithful...she stayed the course...she knew Jesus!!

WOW! That's so much better than

Kimberly...she yelled alot...and forgot to take pictures! (right, Emily & Rachel?)