Pondering

Last night Hope was struggling to go to sleep. Normally I hold her and rock her a while after her bottle and either read a conference talk or think. Well I didn't get to last night. I was too busy trying to help her get comfortable. When she finally settled down it was 10 and time for me to go to bed. I didn't think much about not reading the conference talk or sitting and thinking about what I need to work on till after I said my prayers. I noticed that my prayer ended up being more of those memorized prayers then a prayer of speaking with my Father. That's when I realized how much pondering helps me. It's a time for me to think about what I believe in and to what degree I believe it. It's a time for me to decide I want to be better at something and figure out how to do it. It's a time for me just to sit and feel the peace and love of my Heavenly Father. It really is my precious time. I always walk away feeling uplifted and motivated and full of confidence because I know that Heavenly Father is proud of me and willing to help me. On those days when I do ponder my relationship with the Lord is strengthened because my prayers become more real. During my pondering I always feel Him and that makes it so much easier to get on my knees and really speak with Him. After last night, I realized that I can't miss those opportunities any more. I need them every day. It is what strengthens me and gives me the power to be just a little bit better.