remember

remember
-christina rosetti

remember me when i am gone away,
gone far away into the silent land
when you can no more hold me by the hand
nor i half turn to go, yet turning stay.
remember me when no more day by day
you tell me of our future that you planned:
only remember me; you understand
it will be too late to counsel then or pray.
yet if you should forget me for a while
and afterwards remember, do not grieve:
for if the darkness and corruption leave
a vestige of the thoughts that i once had,
better by far you should forget and smile
than that you should remember and be sad



i hear funeral poems day in and day out and i am so sick of some of them, but i have never heard this one, my favourite on a funeral. i just love those final lines, "better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad"
mark my words, that is what i would want
but it won't be for a long time yet!!!

mothers day...

as a child, along with most other young girls, i had my baby dolls and rocked them and put them to bed in my cradle. i thought of the things i would say to my own children when the day came and the names i would give them and of the things i would teach them. all of this influence came from my own wonderful, precious mother. she is the dearest person to my heart and the greatest friend i have ever had in this life. the woman who would drop anything to come to my side - even now as i am a grown woman, and still knows the songs of my heart and sings them with me. without my mother, i would never have seen the perfect love that radiates between my father and her - and never have desired to have that for myself one day. she taught me of temple marriage and of eternal love, which i have now been blessed with in my own life. she is truly a blessing to me and i am grateful for her each and every day of my life. my own mother, my best friend. if i can be half the woman and half the mother she is, i will certainly be doing well in this life.

i love you babs! happy mothers day!

and this time next year - i'll be a mother... scary thought - but i can't wait!! :)

kick kick kickety-kick

not too much to say for updates babywise... it's still in there :) still growing, and making sure i know that there's less and less room each day - with a steady kick kick kick kick-kick. i think i'll really miss it when it stops... but i guess by then it'll be kicking in real life! how exciting!!

in other news... no more work as of june 10! i'll be laying around (or maybe nesting) getting bigger and... waiting.

as for the picture above... not me - but ouch!

more sad news...

mama - the coolest cat we know :)

tears, thoughts and prayers are going still to our family in new zealand - as the heart of our family has gone to join her beloved...

suilolo paramore

(known to us all as mama)

passed away on 01.05.2011, after a short amount of warning was given to the family to make their way over. with only 44 days having passed since we said a sad goodbye to papa, mama needed him more than we knew - and has gone to join him.

i know that we'll see her again, and that she and papa have each other, but it doesn't stop me wishing, as always, that we never had to say goodbye...

but as a child of god... i've learned this truth -

a family is forever

x

constance

anzac day every year also brings around the birthday of one of my most favouritest people in the entire world... miss chelsea rose.

I cannot tell you how much i love this girl. she makes me laugh harder than almost anyone i know, believes in op-shopping and clothes sharing (aka wardrobe cleanout and redirect to your mates wardrobe...), rips on people just as much as i do - and enjoys it... and is just generally an all round certifiable nut case.

but i love her. to pieces.

she's one of those people i can sit with for hours and hours and hours and not grow tired of... and not see for ages - and still feel like it was yesterday.

"doing nothing together - is what the best of friends are for"

anzac 2011

this year brought with it a five day long weekend for perth, an awesome thing that unfortunately won't happen again for something like 86 years!! ( i heard it on the radio yesterday, just don't remember exactly how many...) easter and anzac day in one weekend? that's all kinds of crazy.

i really do love anzac day. it's such an amazing day to remember and honour those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedom we do. my own grandfather (joseph) went away to war (and his wife phyllis was involved in the army as well - in fact their wedding photo proves this - in their army uniforms - bless!) as did my other grandfather (roy) although not in the australian army (he was american). before my grandfather joe passed away he passed his war medals on to me, and i feel very lucky to have them. i am proud of the sacrifice he made in his life at such a young age (much younger than i am now...) to defend his country - and ensure that the lives of his children and their children (plus their children to come...) would benefit. maybe they weren't thinking of all these future generations at the time, but it is nice for us to be given this day each year to remember them
and their sacrifice.

a friend has this quote on his facebook status that i thought was really special - from mustafa kemal atatürk, the president of turkey "you, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries... wipe away your tears. your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. after having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."

i watched the opening ceremony for the anzac day afl match (doug would have been so proud!) i couldn't help getting emotional when the bugler played the last post - it gets me everytime... it makes me so proud to be an australian,

and to live in a country - that's worth fighting for.

i know that my redeemer lives

i know that my redeemer lives

what comfort this sweet sentence gives

he lives, he lives who once was dead

he lives, my ever living head

he lives to bless me with his love

he lives to plead for me above

he lives, my hungry soul to feed

he lives to bless in time of need

he lives to grant me rich supply

he lives to guide me with his eye

he lives to comfort me when faint

he lives, to hear my souls complaint

he lives to silence all my fears
he lives to wipe away my tears

he lives to calm my troubled heart

he lives, all blessings to impart

he lives my kind wise heavenly friend

he lives and loves me til the end
he lives, and while he lives i'll sing

he lives, my prophet, priest and king

he lives and grants me daily breath

he lives and i shall conquer death

he lives my mansion to prepare
he lives to bring me safely there

he lives! all glory to his name!

he lives my saviour still the same

oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives

i know that my redeemer lives!

he lives! all glory to his name!
he lives my saviour still the same
oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives
i know that my redeemer lives!

i had the opportunity to sing in church for easter sunday - "i know that my redeemer lives (lds hymns 136) and i stand all amazed (lds hymns 193)" there is nothing i like more than having the chance to sing and offer praises through music... i honestly agree with the old quotation that said "there are very few ways to draw closer to the lord than through music"

i am thankful each and everyday for the sacrifice that our lord and saviour jesus christ made for us, but try to remember especially at easter... when so many forget and focus on the other things. i am eternally grateful for the chance to be forgiven for my sins and to live again and pray always to be so.