A Mother's Journey

Once upon a time, long long ago, and far far away, there was a young mother. She set out one day and placed her foot onto the pathway of life. "Is the journey very long?" she asked.

"Yes it is," her guide replied, "and the way is very hard. You will be old before you reach the end of it, but . . . "he stopped and smiled warmly down at her. "The end will be much better than the beginning."

The young mother was very happy though. She could not believe that anything could be any better than these wonderful early years she was spending with her children. She played with them, and gathered flowers for them along the way. She bathed them in clear streams and watched the sun shine down on them. Life was good. The young mother sang . . . "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this . . . nothing."



Then the night came and storms arrived. The pathway became dark. The children shook with fear and with cold. The mother drew them close, covering them with her mantle and sheltering them as a mother hen shelters her chicks. Her children looked up at her and said, "Sweet mother, we are not afraid when you are near." The mother said to herself . . . "This is better than the brightness of a day . . . for I have taught my children to be courageous."



Then the morning arrived . . . and there was a hill ahead. The children began to climb the hill, and became very weary. The mother was weary too, but she kept up with them, encouraging them to go on. "Just a little patience." she said. "We will be there soon." The children looked up at her and continued to climb . . . higher and higher. When they had finally reached the top, they once more looked up at her and said, "Oh Mother, we could never have done this without you." And the mother, when she lay down that night to sleep, looked past the stars and said to herself. "This is a much better day than the last. My children have learned fortitude in the face of difficulties. Yesterday I taught them courage, today I have taught them how to be strong."



With the dawning day there came strange clouds, clouds that darkened the earth . . . clouds of war, and of hate, and of evil . . . The children groped in the darkness and stumbled. The mother cried out to them, "Look up. Lift your eyes up past the darkness and into the Light!" The children looked up and saw an Everlasting Glory above the strange and dark clouds. It guided them and brought them through all the darkness and the evil. That night the mother said to herself, as they lay down to sleep, "This has been the best day of all, for I have helped my children to learn to see God."



The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years . . . the young mother grew old, and little and bent. Her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. When the way became hard, they helped their mother to overcome, when the way became rough, they lifted her up, for she was now as light as a feather. At last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining pathway which lead up to a golden gate that lay open wide.



The mother looked up at her children and said, "I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know that the end really is better than the beginning. My children can now walk alone and they will be able to teach their children after them . . ."

The children looked down at their mother with tears in their eyes . . . "You will always walk with us Mother, even after you have gone through the gate."

They stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gate closed after her. They said to themselves . . . "We can no longer see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory."
~Temple Bailey, as re-told by Marie Rayner.



I hope you enjoyed this little story I found. I have always thought that being a mother is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also the most rewarding. It is the one thing in my life that has given me the greatest joy.

"You mothers are the real builders of the nation wherever you live, for you have created homes of strength and peace and security. These become the very sinew of any nation.” ~Gordon B. Hinckley, “Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov 1996

It was soooo hot yesterday, but thankfully it cooled off a lot during the night. I made us a lovely dessert for our supper last night, part of which was these lovely cookies. Crispy and buttery, they went very well with the other part of the dessert. There is only a hint of lemon flavour in them, but it is just enough, without being overpowering.



*Buttery Lemon Cookies*
Makes about 4 dozen
Printable Recipe

Crisp and buttery, with a faint hint of lemon, these are real pleasers. They go wonderfully with fruit salads, or with my Lemon Posset.

the zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/3 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together to bring out all the lemon oil flavours. Add the butter, and cream together until light and fluffy. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix into the creamed mixture well.

Place the 1/2 cup of sugar into a bowl. Roll heaped TBS of the dough into balls and then roll them in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom and cracked on the tops, turning the baking sheet around half way through the baking time. Remove from the oven. Let stand on the cookie sheet for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining dough until finished. Store in a tightly covered container.



To see the rest of the dessert, please go HERE. You won't be able to resist!