A Precious Bundle

We welcomed a new neice and cousin into our family last week.

Little Lillian May.

Such a precious little bundle.

Contrast

Here in Sydney, our seasons can be so mishmashed, all over the place. You can have a gorgeous warm sunny day that has you peeling off the layers, followed by a blistery cold day that finds you rugged up inside. It can be hard to find the seasons, to pinpoint those things that signify time is passing, that our days and weeks are marked by a world that cycles full circle each year.

But since moving house, we find ourselves surrounded by subtle signs that this cycle is in full force. Even here in Sydney. Our garden is full of trees and plants that mark time in their own way. But in true Sydney style there is still contrast.
Like this scene that catches the corner of my eye as I walk across our front porch, the blossoms persisting, even though they seem so out of place on these cold almost wintry days.

But in my backyard I see this.

And this.

And this.

And I'm not exactly sure why, but it makes me oh so very happy to watch.

Sending Love

My Mum is a long way away today. They have no internet or phone connected yet in their new apartment in Abu Dhabi. I've sent some love through the mail but have no idea how long it will take to get to the Middle East. So I can't give my Mum a hug today, or tell her how much I appreciate her over the phone. I just hope she knows and feels it anyway.

I am so grateful for the mothers in my life. My own Mum who sacrificed so much to love and care and teach and nurture me. My mother in law who helped prepare the amazing man that I am blessed to be married to. For the amazing grandmothers they both are to my boys (I think they're the best grandmothers EVER!) For my own grandmothers who instilled a heritage of hard work, committment, determination, humour, in all of us as their posterity. And to the many women who are a constant example to me of how noble this role is that I hold.

Sam is speaking in Church today about Motherhood and I've been collecting quotes for his talk throughout the week. I love this one, it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.

"While we tend to equate motherhood with maternity, in the Lord's language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve "the mother of all living" - and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."
[To read this talk in full go here.]

Happy Mother's Day!