Matryoshka Dolls

Everyone falls in love with the cute little stacking or nesting dolls from from Russia called Matryoshka dolls. I have several sets I picked up on my trip to Russia. My grandchildren have loved taking them apart and trying to get them to all fit back together. They are painted in bright colors and the sets have branched out into animals, government leaders, sports teams, fairy tail characters etc.
Matryoshka dolls ---derived from "Matryona" a female name referring to a large, fat, strong woman. The first Russian dolls were created in 1890 in children's Education Workshop in Abramtsevo near Moscow. They are used metaphorically as a design paradigm, know as "Matryoshka principle". It denotes a recognizable relationship of similar objects--within--similar--objects that appears in the design.
As I look at this little doll I can't help but wonder if the little doll with 11 more just like it nestled inside "constitute one doll or if they are really 12 different dolls, with separate selves and souls."
My first thought is that this little fat, happy looking doll is the image of the mother with her little ones tucked close inside to her heart as is a "mothering thing" the world over. Or is this just a person with many faces that help her pass through life. The Matryoshka doll could very easily be a metaphor of each of us and our lives. Yes, I have a mother face, a social face, a concerned face, a worried face, a happy face, a sad face and many more-----don't we all? As we peel off our layers, much like peeling onions layer by layer we get down to the "Heart" that is really the center of our lives. These layers are all alike-----but different. "Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character." Boyd K. Packer It is so interesting how a little wooden doll brought back from a vacation can lead to a metaphor of my life..........