Australia Day 8: Easy day and long way home

Emily and Greg of course weren’t ready to give up, so they were on the road by 5:20 AM heading back down to Berrima for a final chance at a platypus—I love that girl! They arrived just as you could see the water by natural light at about 6:45. They waited and watched patiently with no luck.  But Emily did see a solitary dark colored wallaby watching from the hillside across the river. Perhaps it was a final new species to end the trip—iNaturalist came through later with the good news that it was a Swamp Wallaby! No platypus but a new species so worth the long drive.

The other girls and I enjoyed sleeping in, watching the sun light up the sky from our hotel window and finding a lovely café for breakfast. 

We stopped at a grocery store for some treats to bring home for the other kids to try and Lily took some pictures of flowers on our walk back to the hotel. We watched some Phineas and Ferb while we repacked our backs and sadly put our still damp reef clothes and suits back into a trash bag.  

Unfortunately, the girls had not had time to buy souvenirs yet and there were no shops close to our hotel so we decided to just let them buy some at the airport, not our typical move but we were running out of time.  We had some trouble navigating the construction to get to the airport and get the car returned but it all worked out with time to get Lily a stuffed wombat, Emily a key ring, and Kate a t-shirt.

 

For our last meal in Australia I enjoyed another unique and fabulous salad and the girls ate at KFC and McDonald’s - no comment.  However, the McDonalds was pretty cool.  It was two stories tall with the kitchen on top and the order and delivery below with a visible system getting the food down and the orders up.  

The rest of the trip was a blur with lots of movies, reading, trying to sleep, and random airplane meals.  Kate must have been too tired because she left some Sticky's candy and her new tee shirt on the second to last airplane.  We arrived home Saturday afternoon tired but excited to see the kittens and enjoy a fabulous meal of chili and cornbread made by Deanna.  We tried to keep ourselves awake by unpacking but we didn’t last long.  As I got up to go to bed, I found Emily out on the floor.

 

While sitting in testimony meeting the next day I was thinking about our leeches when the dews of heaven rained down…I suddenly had a clear analogy about the leeches.  I shared my thoughts with the congregation and have thought on it a lot since.

 

I wish I could see the “leeches” that are sucking the Spirit out of myself and my family.  I wish the leeches of discouragement, distraction, depression, self-doubt, and pride, were visible to my eye so I could pull them off before they enter my home and take hold in my family.  Once they get in my house, they are much harder to eradicate (like those unsquishable leeches).  I need all the leech repellant I can get to help my children become sin-resistant.  The prophet challenged women to step up and lead and teach our children so they can be sin-resistant.  Sister Joy expounded by asking parents to make sure our children know who they are and why they are here, know the doctrine of repentance, practice daily discipleship (scriptures, prayers, sabbath worship), and are prepared to make and keep covenants.  There are so many leeches in the world trying to sneak in, but I know when we repent we can pull them off, we can heal from the bites and we can become more sin-resistant as we keep trying to be Christlike in all areas of our life.