Mothers

Having an outside picnic on Mother's Day

My present from Jon -- a bistro table and chairs!

Jon's rock planter he is building for the porch

With all of the drama with Will, including his latest life-flight to Primary Children's Hospital last week, I really had not had time to think about Mother's Day. It has been been a hectic and tough time in trying to not just deal with Will's problems, but also with my other two children, and their emotions over all of this. So, needless to say, I was very happy to be able to go to church yesterday and listen to several talks on motherhood, womanhood, and the love God carries for his daughters. It was a truly humbling and spiritual experience to finally have some time to reflect on our role, and the wonderful men who support us in this capacity. Some thoughts on this as I celebrate my own mother, Jon's mother, and my own role as a mom.

Maker--The woman really is a maker of everything. She is a maker of the home, a maker of the food, a maker of the home's mood. I always find it amazing that when I'm happy, peaceful, and calm, so is everyone else. The days when I am not, an example being during my PMS days, it is incredible how everyone else is magically following my mood. Why is that? Why does the mother set the mood for the home? How come when Jon comes home in a bad mood, the mood of the home isn't affected as much? It really is a strange phenomenon. But, such as it is, it is the way it is. Therefore, mothers have the responsibility of being happy from within, and work at making it so. As she does this, the rest of the family follows. I have found this to be a blessing, not a curse, as the Lord places much responsibility on us to be a Maker in every sense of the word.

Overtime -- We are definetly overworked and underpaid. We do not get anything extra for the overtime we put into our families. Today, for instance, I had set aside some time to clean the upstairs and plant a flower I had bought. Well, my kids had other ideas. Between Ryan pooping his pants (potty training, which I really love [said with heavy sarcasm]), the baby wanting to be held because of a gaseous stomach, and Rebecca's school needs, I barely have time to shower and clean myself up before it's time for my husband to come home. We have so little time, and yet so much to do. And no extra pay. Yet, when I hear Rebecca saying a prayer in her room when she is upset, Ryan doing his animal impressions, or Will quietly eating in my arms, it does make it all worth it.

Truthful/True -- We have a responsibility to be true to ourselves and others, and to teach that truth to our children. What a daunting task that is. The responsibility, along with your husband, of teaching your kids how to be true, while also trying to be true to ourselves. It is so overwhelming, it is no wonder we get extra help from Heaven when we ask for it. And, sometimes when we do not.

Helpmeet -- In a recent trip to the Temple, I realized, again, and more forcefully, how valuable Eve was to the Plan of Salvation. She truly was created as a helpmeet and companion to Adam. Together, they would lead each other through life and all the problems they were expected to encounter. Adam, as the Priesthood holder, held the power to activate God's power, and Eve was created to help him use that power in the right way. His true equal. As are we. We are meant to be our husband's equal, and to teach our children in a similar manner. The Lord would have it no other way. It is our responsibilty to not squander each other's power, but to share it equally. The world, in the past, told us that men wielded that power over women's heads. Now, the pendulum is swinging in the other direction, where women do not need men, and we hold all the power. That is simply not the plan of God. He created us to be equal in every sense.

Expectation -- We have huge expectations placed upon us. We are expected to teach our children how to survive and serve others in this ever increasing evil world, to be happy when our husbands come home, to be sexy to our husbands, to exercise, be healthy, serve our neighbors, get along with our family members and friends, learn a new skill, study the scriptures, be available to all of our children's demands, and of course, find time somewhere in there to actually get 5 minutes to ourselves to recharge our batteries. And yet, we miracously find time to do it all. We prioritize and organize in every possible way. We place these burdens on the Lord, and He helps us get all of it done, many times doing about 5 things at once. A true miracle.

Recognizes -- As mothers, we recognize where we are needed, and recognize the Lord's influence on us. We recognize the Spirit's whisperings when a friend is in need, or our husbands are being neglected. Finally, we recognize where our extra strength and increase of love is coming from, and we thank Him a thousand times a day because of it. We recognize the good influences and get rid of the bad influences in our lives, so that the Spirit can dwell in us.

What a wonderful time to be a mother. I am so grateful for my mother in helping me be a better mom to my children. Thank you mom -- I love you!