Mothers and Mother's Day

                Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, a day set apart to honor mothers.  I think it is ironic that most mothers I know do not like Mother’s Day; at least, they do not like to hear talks or lessons about mothers.  You may ask why.  It is because all the talks, lessons, and remarks are about the ideal mother, and this makes even wonderful mothers feel guilty; most mothers, if not all, feel guilty for something they did or did not do for, with, or to their children.  Even the best mothers feel that they do not measure up to the “ideal mother” – whatever that is.

                I personally like Mother’s Day.  I know that my children will “move mountains” if they have to in order to call me on Mother’s Day.  Every day is a good day when I have the opportunity to speak with any of my children; on Mother’s Day I am usually blessed with visits or calls from all of them!  I enjoy listening and watching the Primary children sing to their mothers.  I like everything about Mother’s Day, even when I have to do the cooking!

                One of my favorite Mother’s Day songs is “I Often Go Walking” by Phyllis Luch (1937-1995) with music by Jeanne P. Lawler (b. 1924).  I like it because it reminds me of my mother.

                                    I often go walking in meadows of clover,

                        And I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue.

                        I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over;

                        Dear other, all flowers remind me of you.

                       

                        O mother, I give you my love with each flower

                        To give forth sweet fragrance a whole lifetime through;

                        For if I love blossoms and meadows and walking,

                        I learn how to love them, dear mother, from you.

                I am grateful for the opportunity to be a mother.  I wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember.  Motherhood was my choice for a career!  My siblings and friends had no problems having babies, but I did.  I was married for five years before I became a mother.  I know what it is like to want children and not have them!  I am grateful for my children.  I suppose I am more grateful for my children than many other mothers are for theirs.  My children are good people; they are assets to their communities.  They have knowledge, skills, and willingness to help other people.  I have no regrets for the adults my children have become.  I receive much joy for the accomplishments of my children.

                In fact, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother that I sometimes give presents to my children on Mother’s Day.  I do not do this every year.  When the children were all under ten years old, I made a denim bag for each of my children for a Sunday bag.  This year I made gifts for my children again.  I cannot tell you what I made but will do so sometime in the future.

                I am grateful for my mother.  She is the mother of twelve children, the grandmother of seventy grandchildren, the great-grandmother of more than two hundred, and the great-great-grandmother of at least twice that many.  I am grateful to her for being willing to go into the valley of the shadow of death to give me life.  I am just as grateful for her love and teachings about how to make my life count for something.  I lost my mother many years ago when I was only thirty-four.  I wish I had more years to get to know her and to show her how wonderful she is.  I had not experienced enough of life to truly appreciate my mother until I lost her.  Now I live my life in hopes that I am pleasing her.

                I am grateful for my husband’s mother.  I believe that I have the best mother-in-law anyone could have, and I love her dearly.  She loved me and accepted me for myself.  She was my support after my mother passed away.  We lost her to Alzheimer Disease ten years before her actual death, and we dearly miss her.

                I am grateful for all the women who “mother” me – aunts, older sisters and sisters by marriage, younger sisters and sisters by marriage, daughters, daughters by marriage, granddaughters, nieces, and women in wards and communities.  I am grateful to know that women need women to visit, to teach, and to love.

                I am grateful for the opportunity and challenge to be a mother.  I thank Heavenly Father nearly every day for this great blessing in my life.  I know full well that I do not measure up to the “ideal mother.”  I have learned many things from watching young mothers, things that I wish I had known and done when my children were little.  I know that I failed in many areas, but I also know that I did the very best I could do with the knowledge and experience I had.  I also know that my job as the mother of my children will never end; I will be their mother for all eternity.  I accept this responsibility and continue to teach and correct my adult children whenever I feel there is a need.  I am grateful that I do not see the need very often!

                I am grateful for Mother’s Day and the opportunity to remember my mother, my husband’s mother, and the “other mothers” in my life.  I am also grateful for the reminder of the great blessing of being a mother.