Yesterday, my son flew into the house yelling, “We have a tomato! We have a tomato!” So all of the girls flew out of the house to inspect the new tomato that more resembled a green marble. I followed behind, and we all bent down to inspect the wonder. While they are each quite familiar with growing tomatoes, there is always a bit of excitement at the first one of the season.

Raising a family is kind of like growing a garden. There is plenty of work to be done, but those first signs of growth are truly a reward. No matter how many children I have, it never gets old to witness the first smile, the first time that they write their name, and the first time they suggest that we should pray. In fact, the more children I have, the more I realize what a prized gift it is that I hold. You’d think that a woman with several small children underfoot would lose the wonder of it all, but instead, the opposite occurs.

Sometimes I think that I am just maturing. Sometimes I think it is God’s grace being poured out on a needy mother. And sometimes I don’t think about it, I just enjoy it.