“And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good” (Moses 2:31).

As I walked today, it was really beautiful outside. The sun was out and the temperature, once I started walking, wasn't too cold. I was inside my head as I walked, not really paying attention to where I was headed as much as I was focused on just taking steps forward. It wasn't until I was more than halfway finished with my walk that I really noticed the beauty around me. What made me come out of my self focused walk was a clear call of a bird that sounded like the first notes of a melody. “The time of the singing of birds is come” (Song of Solomon 2:12). I stopped and looked around for the bird. I could barely spy it in the top branches of a tree, white like the aspen it was hiding in. Camouflaged. 

I then noticed the cracks in the cement sidewalk made by a large fir tree. The sidewalk yawning upwards, separating into two pieces like a large, wide mouth. I was impressed with the strength of the roots and wondered how deep they really went and if the roots could withstand a micro burst. Maybe the owner had watered it too much and the roots really didn't sink deep at all. Or maybe it had really deep roots and could withstand great gusts, remaining strong. “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life” (Alma 32:41).

I noticed some crushed small fruit from trees that I had to navigate through carefully so as not to fill the bottom of my shoes with the pulp that had been smashed on the cement. I thought, “How gross, yet at some point I’m sure they gave great beauty”. So much is given, and we are asked to give our best. “Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut” (Leviticus 22:24). But sometimes, the crushed fruit is not of our doing, and we carefully walk around it, grateful we didn't step in it. 

Maybe life is like all these creations. I would miss them if I had continued to be in my own mind, thinking of things I can’t recall. Yet, they are so beautiful, powerful enough to change my thoughts and gladden my heart. All these beautiful creations. Made for us. “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&C 59:18-19). 

Perhaps I will take more notice, I hope so, but sometimes, my efforts are so short lived. I will practice- practice noticing God’s creations and the blessings He gives through them, for they are good. “And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good” (Moses 2:31). As I type this, the word “behold” stands out (see blog on “behold” here). I must practice beholding the creations of God. For they are good!

I’m grateful to be a practicing Christian.

"...Nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41).

As a mother of four children, who stays at home and is often asked what I do, I frequently ask myself that same question. What do I do? I am so grateful that the Lord has given me an answer. It is really plain, which most often His answers are "plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men" ( 1 Nephi 14:23). This answer comes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It states: "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children". I nurture our children. To some people this means to feed and make food. That is some of what I do. But I have come to learn that there is so much more to nurturing than just making food.

The unabridged definition from my Webster's New World Dictionary for nurture reads: "1) anything that nourishes; food; nutriment 2) the act or process of raising or promoting the development of; training, educating, fostering, etc.: 3) all the environmental factors, collectively, to which one is subjected from conception onward, as distinguished from one's nature or heredity - vt. 1) to feed or nourish 2a) to promote the development of b) to raise by educating, training, etc.-"(Websters New World Dictionaries, 1988). When understanding the entire definition of nurturing then mothers and women can more fully understand what they are really doing and the power and influence they have upon their families and on society.

What we truly are is nourishers. We nourish our children, who are our seed, and then we get to nourish them with the words of Christ. When we patiently teach our children truth we will "nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by [our] faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41). Nourishing takes patience, diligence, time, and vision. When we want to educate, train, and foster development or change we have to have a perspective, and that perspective must be eternal.

The day to day tasks of making food, washing clothes, vacuuming, changing diapers, doing dishes, whatever stage of life you are in, must be kept in proper perspective. "Our Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective. Sometimes, that may even mean nurturing small but beautiful forget-me-not flowers instead of a large garden of exotic blooms" (Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf). It has taken me a long time to get to the point where I only say, "I am a mother" and don't add anything else to it, such as what my degree is or that I do art or any of my other interests. I am a nurturer of God's children, and that's enough, because I too am a child of God. We are enough with the time and talents which the Lord has blessed us to help build up and nurture His kingdom, which is His children, here on the earth. For we are all God's children, and we all need building, guiding, educating, nurturing. We can build each other by sharing our time and talents and serving and loving each other. Elder Maxwell said it perfectly when he stated: "We desire our women to be unarguably superb individuals, wives, and mothers, and they can contribute so much to this outcome by making the most of their educational opportunities, both now and by having a posture of lifetime learning...[You] give to our children what [you] are. The more a mother brings to a nest, the more nutritive the nest" (Taking up the Cross).

As women of God, who desire to strengthen homes and families, we are daily nurturing our families and our future. One of the most powerful ways to nurture our loved ones is to provide them ample opportunities to "feast upon the words of Christ" (2 Nephi 32:3), and thus help them be "encircled about eternally in the arms of His love" (2 Nephi 1:15). The Spirit will show and teach us how to make this work for our individual circumstances. Having daily scriptures study with our children increases faith and helps give them protection against all the "fiery darts" that will and are coming at them from every direction (see Ephesians 6:16-17).

Another way to nurture is to educate them and guide them with the protection of His Spirit (see Ephesians 6:16) and teach them how to judge and "discern between good and evil" (Guide to the Scriptures). Judging is really about how to make good choices. It is the gift to discern between good and evil, to know right from wrong and then act, not react, using good judgement. This is a life long virtue to be nourished, the virtue of good judgement and how to judge.

There is so much to do as women of God as we nourish our families, not only our own families, but God's family. We "are primarily responsible for the nurture of [our] children" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) and we are not left alone in this incredible and amazing responsibility. We are "women who know and love the Lord and bear testimony of Him, women who are strong and immovable and who do not give up during difficult and discouraging times " (Sister Julie B. Beck). We are daughters of God and "the most important of the Lord's work [we] will ever do will be within the walls of [our] own homes" (Pres. Harold B. Lee). This I testify.