TO NUTURE

 

This photo of Alyssa is so tender.  When I saw her I wanted to scoop her up into my arms, open my chest and nestle her softly into the warmth of my heart.  I wanted her to stay there safely and securely until the end of time.  That is also how I felt the day she was born.  The first time I saw her. That is how I will always feel, as long as I am called Mother.

 

I loved reading the following quote today:

"I take great delight in my role as a nurturer, which allows me to express my deepest identity as a woman. I never fail to be struck by the way that women, young women, and even little girls seem to have an instinctive interest and ability in nurturing. It is not only a mother's primary responsibility but also part of our 'individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose' ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). To nurture is to teach, to foster development, to promote growth, to feed, and to nourish. Who would not shout for joy at being given such a blessed role?

- Susan W. Tanner, Ensign May 2008

This is what Alyssa did the day after her tonsils came out.  She made a cute little bed for her Webkinz Poodle named Snowflakes and one of her little Petshops kitties.  She colored pictures for them, and then came and got me to let me know they were watching a movie.  There they sat for the day.  While Alyssa rested on the couch.  And even while I nursed her health, she in turn nurtured these little animals by pretending to feed them, love them, and make sure they were happy and well.