A room full of memories

With a steaming hot cup of milo in my hand and a sneaky chocolate biscuit, I am sitting in my parent's office of my family home enjoying the serenity.  Sitting at the very desk where I used to spend countless hours researching for assignments, begrudgingly writing those same assignments and talking on MSNchat to my girlfriends about cute boys.  The huge grey computer monitor that used to reside on the office desk has been made redundant and now there sits a sleek black laptop with all the latest technology.  I always find myself smiling that my parents like to keep up-to-date with technology and laugh that they always unplug the power plug at the end of the day "just in case" a virus comes through overnight. 

I have always loved this room and considered it my favourite room in the house.  I used to proudly show my friends when they visited and would spend countless hours on the couch talking with my parents about anything that was on my mind.  They were special moments - moments that I now treasure.  Each and every wall in this office is covered in family snapshots - of family holidays, weddings, school days, grandparents, First Communions and graduations.  There is a photo of my beautiful Mum as Carnival Queen for the Carnival of Flowers in the 1980's, a baby photo of my Dad sitting in the sunshine on his parents couch and photos of Macie. 

There is even a collage of photos of myself, my sister and my Mum all holding beer steins in Munich - Mum was only 20, I was 19 and Emma was 23.  We all managed to go to the same place on our Contiki trips - even though our adventures were years apart.  All those years ago, Mum planted a seed in us to "Travel and see the World" - which we did.....and Dad planted a seed in us to "Always do the best we can do and be happy at it" - which we have......and all these photos in the office just proves to me, that they have done an almighty job ensuring those little seeds they planted over 25 years ago have flourished into what they dreamed of. 

Macie and I packed up the car on Monday with suitcases, toys, and pillows.  We kissed Heath goodbye and set off to spend some quality time with my sister Emma as her due date for birth was getting closer by the day.  I had an instinct that I needed to be near her - to spend those precious last days with her before she becomes a Mama.  We spent the days playing in the park, and enjoying long sisterly chats - the ones that you can't do over the phone.  As I always say, instinct is powerful because I am now sitting here in this beautiful room in my parents home, receiving update texts from her from the Labour Ward at the Hospital.  She is going to be a Mama soon and tears well up in my eyes just thinking about it. 

 Soon she will have her own office with walls covered in her family photos, a fridge full of paintings and a house full of toys.  But most of all, she will have a heart constantly overflowing with love for her husband, her family, and her children.  Soon, she will be meticiously planting the seeds of dreams and hopes into her little baby and wishing nothing but happiness and health.  She will be counting his ten little fingers and ten little toes and will be marvelling at how much of a miracle he is.

As tears roll down my cheeks - they are happy tears and proud tears - I find myself wondering "If I feel like this for my sister, imagine what my Mum and Dad feel for their daughter."

It's every parents dream to see their children grow up to be happy, strong, healthy, successful and grounded.  To see that their hard work, endless love, tricky decisions and tears have moulded the daughter that they had dreamed of.  I know that Emma has made them proud, for she has made me proud as a sister.

And I know that when they receive that phone call where they can hear her little baby crying in the background - it will be one of the most rewarding moments in their role as a parent.  It's moments like these that I look forward to with my children - the golden moments that bring both tears to your eyes and happiness to your heart. 

The very moments that remind you that......it's all worth it.