What do I cherish most?

What do I cherish most? I think most people with 4 kids would instantly say: My Kids!! Or My Sanity!! Maybe even my coffee ~ that first one of the day... that is certainly something to cherish.

Typically, I would say my family. I love my family... they are absolutely by far and above what I cherish most in this world. My husband + my kids = my life... But next to the obvious, what do I cherish most in my life?

Not money... no amount of money can bring you anything good ~ the more you have, the less it matters sure, having none really does bring a person to wanting it more, but the thing is, there always is more... more to be made, earned, and of course spent. It's useful and has purpose, but not to be cherished.

Not possessions either. They're things. They also are useful and some have purpose, but mostly too many possessions just add to the clutter and dust and overwhelming problem of consumerism in todays society.

Friends? Yes... I do cherish my friends, old and new, young and young at heart. My children's friends, sometimes my husbands friends... so yes, I do cherish my friends... though as you're growing a life and a raising a young family, time for friends just isn't a priority anymore. There are for sure the good friends, the ones that time just seems to stand still for ~ the ones that you see when you can, and when you see them, it is like no time has passed and you just pick right up where you left off ~ no guilt over the years passed with little or no contact, no stress over the next time you will see each other... when it happens, it will be amazing to catch up all over again.

Time. I cherish the time that I have with the people I love. Meeting up with those good friends, having that long tuck in with a snuggly little bum who wants 'two books tonight, mommy', while holding up three... Time to spend with my husband ~ not time talking about the mortgage or bills, or what needs to be done around the house, or arranging who is driving the littles to the birthday party on the weekend. But the time that you get to just hold each other, relax together, enjoy each other's company. Remember why you fell in love in the first place. Look into his eyes and really see his soul again... the years tick by and it's those moments, those moments in time, that really matter.

And perhaps somewhat selfishly, I also cherish my 'alone' time. It is rare; in a busy household with 4 littles, and constant motion to just have that 'quiet' and 'alone' time. I think in the last year, it has really come forward for me though, just how important it is to carve out some of that alone time. It isn't selfish to take a time out, if I come back regenerated and in a better headspace and mood. It makes me a better person, I'm nicer to myself, have more patience with my kids, and have a little bit of me still left at the end of the day for my husband.