The NATURE to NURTURE

Today I listened to a talk given at the 180th Annual General Conference for the LDS Church. It was given by M. Russell Ballard during the Saturday morning session.

It made me think of this picture of my twins when they were little.....



Mallory had months of therapy under her belt by the time Dawson was finally able to come home from the hospital. She had learned to soothe herself with her own fist.

One day I laid them next to each other on the couch. Dawson got upset and started to cry. Mallory was watching him while sucking on her own fist.

Then her "NATURE TO NURTURE" took over. She grabbed his opposite arm and pulled him over to her, pulled her fist out of her mouth and popped it in his. DONE! He was golden! Worked like a charm.

From that moment I have KNOWN that as women we are born with the instinct to take care of others. How else could her reaction be explained?! I have thought quite a bit on the subject.

Then today, while listening to the talk, it struck me again!

I Loved This.......

"Now, mothers, I understand that it sometimes appears that our children aren’t paying attention to the lessons we’re trying to teach them. Believe me—I’ve seen that glazed-over look that comes to the eyes of teenagers just when you’re coming to what you think is the best part of your instruction. Let me assure you that even when you think your daughter is not listening to a thing you say, she is still learning from you as she watches you to see if your actions match your words. As Ralph Waldo Emerson is believed to have said,

'What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.'

Teach your daughters to find joy in nurturing children. This is where their love and talents can have the greatest eternal significance. Consider in this context President Harold B. Lee’s injunction that “the most important . . . work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes”. This is true for all of us, of course, but it is especially powerful when considering the relationship of mothers and daughters.

Mothers, teach your daughters that a faithful daughter of God avoids the temptation to gossip or judge one another. In a sermon to the Relief Society of Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph counseled, “The tongue is an unruly member—hold your tongues about things of no moment”.

In recent years there has been a rash of articles, books, and films written about women and girls who gossip and who are “mean.” Satan is always attempting to undermine the most precious element of a woman’s divine nature—

the nature to nurture.

A mother-daughter relationship is where a daughter learns how to nurture by being nurtured. She is loved. She is taught and experiences firsthand what it feels like to have someone care about her enough to correct her while continuing to encourage

 and believe in her at the same time."

Isn't that FANTASTIC?! 

I certainly hope to help Mallory develop the gift of nurturing she was born with. What a great gift! And to know that it is part of the Divine Nature of each of us, as women....WOW!

Now, because I can't resist, I will leave you with a video of Mallory and Dawson. I took this just moments after I snapped the picture above. Oh, this video makes me crave having twins again! I love Dawsons little breathing sounds at the end! :) Enjoy!