the strange, the ordinary, and the divine

One of the perks of living in Australia is having strange and unusual friends...

Today is Mothers Day. Well, for me it is anyway. Since Ryan was was still overseas last weekend he decided to wake me up with a beautiful breakfast and a thoughtful pressie this morning. I was okay with that.

And then we went to visit some of our friends at the billabong down the road.

At times Levi couldn't be bothered. After all, there were sticks everywhere to play with...

...and what fun are koalas when they just sit there in trees looking cute? (Boring mom!)

Birds on the other hand... birds are on the move and fast and fascinating.

And of course the "dogs" are awesome. And these "dogs" even have really long tails and huge, funny feet. Oh, and they bounce around a lot... in between their lazy episodes of sunbathing. (Weird, but cool mom!)

Isn't it strange how becoming a mom changes things? Like how a great day for me is now one where I see my family enjoying themselves. Soaking in the warm sun. Glimpsing blue sky between the rustling gum trees. Minutes morphing into hours while chasing ducks, picking up sticks, and seeing life through the eyes of a very, very small and curious person.

Because to a very, very small and curious person... the world looks large and grande and full and... friendly. And I really like seeing it that way.

Through those eyes scary things don't look threatening... they just look amazing. (Even more amazing than on the pages of our storybooks.) And I like seeing it that way, too.

I reckon that sun on your back, dust on your feet, and a child on your shoulders (or in your belly) just make the world feel a little bit more right.

But of course kids will be kids... and even on a made-up Mothers Day they still don't "pose" for photos.

But that's ok. Because each little glance, each expression, each mid-sentance hand gesture frozen on film... all bring a sense of normalcy.

And that normalcy does nothing to detract from the divine gift of an animated and spirited child who doesn't yet know how to say "I love you mama." But I know. I know I am loved... in the ordinary moments as well as the extraordinary ones.

So this Mothers Day we come home and place our shoes by the door. Some of us go for naps while others fold laundry. The sun continues to sink on an extraordinarily ordinary, beautifully unusual, simply wonderful normal day. And I count my blessings, the best of which are the man and the boys who have made me a mom.

For this mom... on a Sunday... in May... with my boys (all three of them)... the world is a very good place.

Knowing that this is my current reality makes me a very happy, happy woman indeed.

Dear friends, how have you seen the divine in the ordinary this week?

glad to be a mama,



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adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

another thing i love about australia

In honour of Australia Day today (our national holiday... kinda like the 4th of July) I'm doing two things:

1. Spelling "honor" as honour.

2. Showing you one of the many things I love about this nation:

In case you haven't worked it out already... Australia has special parking spots (just after the disability spaces) at grocery stores and shopping centers that are designated for parents with babies and small children.

Genius I tell you. Pure genius.

Just one of the many things I love about this nation.

And now for a bonus... my favourite pint-size Aussie, all dressed to impress for Australia Day:

levi's shirt says "fair dinkum aussie" (fair dinkum = aussie slang for true/legitimate/real}

Dear friends, happy Australia Day to my Aussie mates! And to the rest of you... feel free to hop on the Oprah Wagon and come and join us for a holiday over here. You will indeed love it too.

aussie, aussie, aussie, oi, oi, oi,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission