Increase our love: lifting ideas from those better than me

In my quest to learn to love better, a note about Jesus' mother Mary opened my eyes to some other things around me.

Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

That's one thing love does: it replays scenes and events over and over in our hearts. It understands that another person as a treasure, and keeps polishing each memory to make sure it stays bright and unfaded. And I understood a few things in a different light.

• My father used to photograph things to focus his own attention on what he loved, and to keep the memories.
• A sister in Christ at church is a devoted scrap-booker. Her books are filled with her family. Again, a way to focus her attention, rehearse her love, and treasure memories in a tangible way.
• I know someone who, not really artistic enough to scrap-book, has little biographies of her children's best moments in a Word document.
• My grandmother, every time I saw her, would rehearse story after story of all the good in my grandfather. When it came time to write his eulogy, I realized that she had been praising the good in his life every time I heard her, not waiting until he died to praise his life. Much better for his sake, I'd think.

Some people may think these are very basic things to notice, but it's just because I have such a long way to go. I'd be curious if anyone had noticed other ways people rehearse their love and treasure their memories.