Citrus Spice and Precious Treasures

She rounded the laundry aisle, as I stood there determining if citrus spice smelled better luscious lavender.

"Aren't they just treasures?"

Her aged eyes turn to gaze at Grace, "You're precious."

Those spheres of wisdom move to my son, "You are too."

Then to me, but she doesn't say anything, she just waits for my response....

I almost couldn't say anything. Most of the time people are so busy they don't take time to respond to my daughter's never ending, yelled "Hi!" and the fact that my son is indeed wearing a cape. Or if they do, its a smile and back to finding the needed items and crossing things off their list.

"Oh, I'm very blessed for sure" I said with a genuine, but tired mommy smile. 

"Oh yes you are. I have seven. It was so fun, they're grown now and its still fun."

She doesn't know I have a little one tucked inside. She doesn't know how good and encouraging it is to have someone tell me I'm in fact blessed rather than roll their eyes at me as my son demands lunch, which I should obviously be making in the middle of Wal-Mart or the fact that my daughter is standing in the cart's basket instead of sitting, safely strapped in, which is so boring to a 1 year old anyway. No, she looked at my children with earnest love and told them they were treasures, precious. 

They may forget that, but I never will. I told her of my little surprise sitting under my sweatshirt and she just smiled! "When can you know if its a boy or girl?" I told her it was just coming up, Friday and she just beamed at me, like I was one of her daughters telling her of my baby to come.

"Well I had one girl, then 5 boys then another girl. Its just fun, enjoy yours!" And she left us with a smile. After all that, citrus spice it is I guess.

She has not the smallest notion that just a few months ago I thought I was losing my baby. She doesn't know I'm thrilled and anxious for Friday all at the same time. All she saw were some snotty, loud kids jumping out of a cart like wild animals and told them they were precious, and meant it. 

Satan works so hard to destroy family, to minimize the utter blessing children are. He highlights the stress and inconvenience of parenting. He plays on fears that mommies and daddies have for their children. As I sit and mentally prepare for a checkup on this baby and the ultrasound when we get to peek in and say hi, I can't help but be scared. None of those feelings I have, have any merit or weight, and I've been given no reason to fear, but I do. Satan knows if I sit in silence and worry then I'm forgetting to be thankful and consider my treasures.

So Lord, thank you for these 3 precious ones. I can't add a day or minute to them or me, so I sit and say thank you for this moment. Oh and thank you for that sweet older woman who spoke truth to me that day.