Blooming

What seems like forever ago, I made a connection that brought peace to my soul. One day about 3 years ago I was walking around the temple I lived closest too. (I love walking around temples, because there is, and always has been a peace that is pervasive.) I noticed as I walked around the manicured gardens that summer day, that there were flowers of all different kinds. The variety of flowers as well as the different stages of blooming they were in made the gardens so beautiful. In that moment, I realized there is a beauty to blooming.

Each flower is unique and blooms at its own pace.

Blooming is a process. We all know that come spring, flowers will ever so slowly begin to open up and bloom. But even so, each flower blooms at its own pace. There is anticipation for it to bloom fully, but each stage is beautiful. I started to wonder, what about me? Just as I love to watch flowers bloom and grow, does my Heavenly Father find joy and fulfillment as He watches me bloom into the person I can become? I absolutely think He does.

Flowers that remind me of blooming in my backyard

Sometimes I get inpatient with myself. I wonder why I am slow at catching on and getting better at things. But then flowers taught me another lesson. Even though I want to immediately become a better person, isn’t there beauty in slowly blooming? If flowers all of a sudden went from seed to a fully bloomed flower, I would feel I missed out on the beauty of watching it grow. I appreciate the slow and steady growth. It is the same for me. I can slowly grow and bloom through life. It is okay that I am not perfect, I’m just trying to enjoy the blooming. I believe my Heavenly Father understands growth, is loving, and celebrates my steady blooming, however slow it may be.

As I am now a mother, I realize that blooming into motherhood is real and very beautiful. When I think back to the day I became a mother, I am amazed at how much I have grown. I am more patient, I am more full of love, I know how to change a diaper

The day I became a mother

faster, etc… But, just like a flower blooming, day-to-day changes are sometimes imperceptible. It takes stepping back and looking at the beginning to realize how far I’ve come; how beautifully I am blooming.  I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father for giving me flowers to learn from.

Take a minute to think about your journey of blooming. How have you bloomed as a mother?