Grateful to be a Mom

This Thanksgiving as we went around the table to share with our family what we were thankful for, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my role as a mother. This blog has helped me so much to recapture the spirit of motherhood. I am so grateful to be a mom and for the example of all the other wonderful moms i know! I am also so grateful for a husband who understands the importance of having me stay at home to raise our children. I couldn't do it without his support and all of his hard work.

"To the mothers of this Church, every mother who is here today, I want to say that as the years pass, you will become increasingly grateful for that which you did in molding the lives of your children in the direction of righteousness and goodness, integrity and faith. That is most likely to happen if you can spend adequate time with them." -President Hinckley

“We have often said, This divine service of motherhood can be rendered only by mothers. It may not be passed to others. Only by mother, aided as much as may be by a loving father... can the full needed measure of watchful care be given” -President Kimball

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” The priesthood cannot work out its destiny, nor can God’s purposes be fulfilled, without our helpmates. Mothers perform a labor the priesthood cannot do. For this gift of life, the priesthood should have love unbounded for the mothers of their children." -President Hunter

"No more sacred word exists in secular or holy writ than that of

mother.

There is no more noble work than that of a good and God-fearing mother." -President Benson

What We Do

An awesome Mom emailed me this story. It is a great anecdote about all the hard work moms do. The mom who shared this story with me is an incredible person. She is a great mom to a little girl who has had a great deal of medical problems. But she is always so positive and an awesome example to me.

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?' 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

An Eternally Ordained Mission

With the holidays approaching, i have been struggling with the fact that since I choose not be employed outside of the home we have no money for anything but the basics. This past week my world was turned around with unexpected expenses. I felt not necessarily unsatisfied with "just being a mom" but as horrible as it sounds, i felt a longing to have more money to pay for not only our necessary expenses, but just a little more money to buy things like presents for my family, Christmas decorations for our home, or even a vacation once in a while.

I felt so uneasy. I kept trying to justify the possibility of only working outside the home just for a short time. But in my heart i couldn't. So I turned to the Lord for comfort. I got out an old manual from one of my religion classes and found quote after quote after quote reaffirming my faith and testifying to me that my work as a mom is more important and noble than any job, hobby, or any item i could purchase.

I'd like to share with all of you what i found, in hopes that it will strengthen all of us.

*This one cut me deep- as Nephi says, "the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

President Gordon B. Hinckley- "I think the nurture and upbringing of children is more than a part-time responsibility. I recognize that some women must work, but I fear that there are far too many who do so only to get the means for a little more luxury and a few fancier toys."

President Kimball gets right to the point. "The husband is expected to support his family andonly in an emergency should a wife secure outside employment. Her place is in the home, to build thehome into a heaven of delight."

****I will keep this first post short and end with what was for me the greatest words of comfort and eternal perspective.

President Ezra Taft Benson- "Do not sacrifice your preparation for an eternally ordained mission for the temporary expediency of money-making skills which you may or may not use."