Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day.
I am so thankful for the angel mothers in my life. My mom truly is an angel. She is kind to all, she has no guile within her, and I have seen this even more as I grow and as different experiences come. She has a truly forgiving heart, and I hope to become like her. She knows what it means to "cleave unto charity," and "love thy neighbor as thyself." She clothes herself in purity and charity each day, and I am truly blessed to be the daughter of such a noble woman of God. This year, especially, I have been so grateful to the faithfulness of my parents in giving me the greatest gift of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without them teaching me about the truth, and about the Savior, I would be without the joy that comes because of the Gospel.
I am so thankful to Todd's sweet mother. She has been a mother and dear friend to me as well. She has accepted me in her family, and loved me as her own. She is smart, talented, kind, and serves her family well. She takes care of her children, even now that they are all grown. She understands that her role of mother is an eternal calling. And she is a wonderful Grandma. She continues her mothering with loving and teaching and caring for her grandchildren. I am so thankful that my daughter has two amazing grandmothers to look to. Savannah has a wonderful heritage, and we are thankful for that.
I am so thankful for my grandmothers, and their continual love. The love we have felt from all our Grandmas has filled a special place in our hearts. The love of a grandmother is very unique, as it is given freely and abundantly. Because of my interest and love of family history, I have been trying to learn more about the lives of my ancestors. Several years ago, my Grandma created a book with stories of our ancestors. I recently finished that book, and I felt particularly drawn to learn from the examples of the mothers, and how they lived and raised their families.
One of the ancestors I felt an instant connection to is Lucy Vilate Park Hall, who is my great-great grandmother on my father's side. I think I felt so connected to her after I read this short paragraph from one of her children, "Mama was a very sensitive person and she worried a lot...She worried night after night about her children and never went to sleep until they were all home and in bed. She worried about...the things that had to be done that she couldn't get done." As I am an overachieving worrier, I was glad to know that someone else was, and that there was still hope for me to turn out all right! Anyway, another story of her that I just loved was told this way:
"It must have been in the Spring of 1931 or 32 that Mother and I were out south of the house working in the garden when a young man, about 20 or so came across the field to us and asked Mother if she has some work he could do. She said no, but then told him to go across the road to Scott's to ask. In a few minutes he came back up the road with his hands in his pockets. Mother called to him to come over and asked him if he got any work helping Isaac and he just shook his head. Then Mama asked him if he had anything to eat today and he said, 'no, Ma'am not since yesterday.' Mama took him by the arm and told him to come with her. She took him to the house after telling me to go ahead and work. When she came back to the garden, the young man went down the road with a paper sack in his hand. I asked her what she had done and she told me that she had fed him and given him a sandwich to take along with him. I said 'Why did you feed him when he didn't work for it?' And she began to cry and told me something I have never forgotten. She said, 'Maybe some day one of my sons will be hungry and I hope [somebody's] Mother will give him something to eat.'"
Don't you just love that? Doesn't that just make you want to be a better mother? Motherhood is an eternal calling. This noble woman knew that, and through years of service to her family and others, she had developed a Mother Heart. She was a mother to anyone who needed a little extra love and nurturing. I hope that someday I can have that same Mother Heart. I am so grateful for this example of this ancestor, and I have a renewed determination to work on being a mother to all, and caring for the children that might come in my path, even if they aren't mine. Our Heavenly Father loves all His children, and I can use this time on earth to begin preparing to return to live with Him.
But we must remember not to get discouraged. Things of this importance don't just happen in a day or a week or even a year. This is a lifetime goal. Developing a Mother Heart can only come through continuous righteous choices and decisions, strung together through a lifetime. So don't get worried that you have much more to learn or improve on. We all do. That is why we are here. Just keep at it.
Now a note about Savannah's birthmother. I am eternally grateful for her, for without her, and her loving decision, I would not be a mother. How we love her, honor her, and will forever be grateful to her. She is a noble woman.
Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk in 2008 called "Daughters of God." In it, he said that "there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood." Nothing more essential? If that is the case, and I am sure he speaks the truth, then nothing else deserves my attention and whole heart more than that of raising my children in the Gospel and teaching them about the Savior. He continued, "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply, and in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." I was especially inspired by this thought, that really helped me think about a few things that I should probably do differently; he said, "I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life....It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes." If you get a moment, read this talk. It is a good one, and helped me a lot.
Again, sorry this is so long, and kind of personal. But motherhood is something I care deeply about. I think about it a lot. I want to be a good mom. I don't do everything right or perfectly, and mostly I am learning by trial and error. Luckily, Savannah is by-nature a patient, tender girl, so she is kind to me in my weaknesses. How thankful I am to be a woman in the latter-days, to have the guidance of Prophets and Apostles to show us the way how to best raise our children in this world.
I am thankful to be a mother. I know what it is like to not be one, and have that as your innermost yearning desire. And it is extremely difficult. It is hard not to have that one righteous desire that you yearn so much for. Within me, it is still difficult not to have the experience of bearing children. But we receive hope through the Lord that all our righteous desires will be given to us, even in the next life, as we strive to follow Him. This life is but a small time in eternity. It is a testing, and proving ground. Each of our experiences is hand-picked for us, to give us just what we need to have the faith necessary in our Savior, Jesus Christ. And if your particular trial is experiencing infertility, know that your Heavenly Father loves you, and that He will help you through it. And that whatever trials you experience, will be for your good and growth.
Happy Mother's Day.
Go to the board!
I am so thankful for the angel mothers in my life. My mom truly is an angel. She is kind to all, she has no guile within her, and I have seen this even more as I grow and as different experiences come. She has a truly forgiving heart, and I hope to become like her. She knows what it means to "cleave unto charity," and "love thy neighbor as thyself." She clothes herself in purity and charity each day, and I am truly blessed to be the daughter of such a noble woman of God. This year, especially, I have been so grateful to the faithfulness of my parents in giving me the greatest gift of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without them teaching me about the truth, and about the Savior, I would be without the joy that comes because of the Gospel.
I am so thankful to Todd's sweet mother. She has been a mother and dear friend to me as well. She has accepted me in her family, and loved me as her own. She is smart, talented, kind, and serves her family well. She takes care of her children, even now that they are all grown. She understands that her role of mother is an eternal calling. And she is a wonderful Grandma. She continues her mothering with loving and teaching and caring for her grandchildren. I am so thankful that my daughter has two amazing grandmothers to look to. Savannah has a wonderful heritage, and we are thankful for that.
I am so thankful for my grandmothers, and their continual love. The love we have felt from all our Grandmas has filled a special place in our hearts. The love of a grandmother is very unique, as it is given freely and abundantly. Because of my interest and love of family history, I have been trying to learn more about the lives of my ancestors. Several years ago, my Grandma created a book with stories of our ancestors. I recently finished that book, and I felt particularly drawn to learn from the examples of the mothers, and how they lived and raised their families.
One of the ancestors I felt an instant connection to is Lucy Vilate Park Hall, who is my great-great grandmother on my father's side. I think I felt so connected to her after I read this short paragraph from one of her children, "Mama was a very sensitive person and she worried a lot...She worried night after night about her children and never went to sleep until they were all home and in bed. She worried about...the things that had to be done that she couldn't get done." As I am an overachieving worrier, I was glad to know that someone else was, and that there was still hope for me to turn out all right! Anyway, another story of her that I just loved was told this way:
"It must have been in the Spring of 1931 or 32 that Mother and I were out south of the house working in the garden when a young man, about 20 or so came across the field to us and asked Mother if she has some work he could do. She said no, but then told him to go across the road to Scott's to ask. In a few minutes he came back up the road with his hands in his pockets. Mother called to him to come over and asked him if he got any work helping Isaac and he just shook his head. Then Mama asked him if he had anything to eat today and he said, 'no, Ma'am not since yesterday.' Mama took him by the arm and told him to come with her. She took him to the house after telling me to go ahead and work. When she came back to the garden, the young man went down the road with a paper sack in his hand. I asked her what she had done and she told me that she had fed him and given him a sandwich to take along with him. I said 'Why did you feed him when he didn't work for it?' And she began to cry and told me something I have never forgotten. She said, 'Maybe some day one of my sons will be hungry and I hope [somebody's] Mother will give him something to eat.'"
Don't you just love that? Doesn't that just make you want to be a better mother? Motherhood is an eternal calling. This noble woman knew that, and through years of service to her family and others, she had developed a Mother Heart. She was a mother to anyone who needed a little extra love and nurturing. I hope that someday I can have that same Mother Heart. I am so grateful for this example of this ancestor, and I have a renewed determination to work on being a mother to all, and caring for the children that might come in my path, even if they aren't mine. Our Heavenly Father loves all His children, and I can use this time on earth to begin preparing to return to live with Him.
But we must remember not to get discouraged. Things of this importance don't just happen in a day or a week or even a year. This is a lifetime goal. Developing a Mother Heart can only come through continuous righteous choices and decisions, strung together through a lifetime. So don't get worried that you have much more to learn or improve on. We all do. That is why we are here. Just keep at it.
Now a note about Savannah's birthmother. I am eternally grateful for her, for without her, and her loving decision, I would not be a mother. How we love her, honor her, and will forever be grateful to her. She is a noble woman.
Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk in 2008 called "Daughters of God." In it, he said that "there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood." Nothing more essential? If that is the case, and I am sure he speaks the truth, then nothing else deserves my attention and whole heart more than that of raising my children in the Gospel and teaching them about the Savior. He continued, "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply, and in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." I was especially inspired by this thought, that really helped me think about a few things that I should probably do differently; he said, "I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life....It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes." If you get a moment, read this talk. It is a good one, and helped me a lot.
Again, sorry this is so long, and kind of personal. But motherhood is something I care deeply about. I think about it a lot. I want to be a good mom. I don't do everything right or perfectly, and mostly I am learning by trial and error. Luckily, Savannah is by-nature a patient, tender girl, so she is kind to me in my weaknesses. How thankful I am to be a woman in the latter-days, to have the guidance of Prophets and Apostles to show us the way how to best raise our children in this world.
I am thankful to be a mother. I know what it is like to not be one, and have that as your innermost yearning desire. And it is extremely difficult. It is hard not to have that one righteous desire that you yearn so much for. Within me, it is still difficult not to have the experience of bearing children. But we receive hope through the Lord that all our righteous desires will be given to us, even in the next life, as we strive to follow Him. This life is but a small time in eternity. It is a testing, and proving ground. Each of our experiences is hand-picked for us, to give us just what we need to have the faith necessary in our Savior, Jesus Christ. And if your particular trial is experiencing infertility, know that your Heavenly Father loves you, and that He will help you through it. And that whatever trials you experience, will be for your good and growth.
Happy Mother's Day.
Go to the board!
Sob,sob. What a touching sentiment, are you sure you're not older than you are? What wisdom, and insight. Brooke I love you, hope you know that!?
ReplyDeleteYou're a wonderful mother, Savannah is living proof. Thank you for the nice compliments, you made my Mothers Day! And I wore my cool necklace to church yesterday btw. Any idea what kind of stone it is? Tell Imma thanks for me too. Miss you!