Grateful Sunday

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

On this Mother's Day, 2010, here are a few things I'm grateful for...

* My mother.  Abraham Lincoln said it best, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."   I am 43 years old  and the memories I have of my mother grow sweeter as each year goes by.   From my earliest memories, I have always thought my mother was the most beautiful mother of them all.  She always dressed so stylish, always had her hair done perfectly and her shiny lipstick always made her smile more perfect.    As I write this, I can still smell that lipstick as she kissed me on the cheek as a small girl and told me she loved me.

I have a vivid memory of sitting next to her in church as a small girl and helping her hold the hymn book and thinking my mother's voice was just like that of an angel. Her soprano voice was lovely. But every now and again, she would sing the alto line which I thought made her voice sound magical.  Even now, when I am lucky enough to sit next to her in church, I still think her voice is magical.   

Through the years, I have not only come to love her as my mother, but truly as my best friend.  I know that my mother always has my best interest at heart.  She is my biggest cheerleader.  She is my closest confidant.  She is a listening ear.  She is non-judgemental.  She is selfless.  She is radiant.  She is Christ-like.  She is...My Mother.  For My Mother, Thank You.

* My Kids.  Of all the blessings in my life, along with Bob, my kids are my most precious.  Heavenly Father has blessed me with choice children who bring me joy, bring me challenges, but have blessed me with the capacity to love far more than I ever thought possible.  They are each unique and different in their own way and bring such unique gifts to our family.  For my Special Kids, Thank You.

* Missionaries.  Today in Sacrament meeting, we had two of our young men speak who are leaving to serve missions in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Denver, Colorado, Spanish speaking mission.  They each spoke on the influence their mothers have had in their lives and shared their sweet testimonies.  It was such a wonderful meeting and I couldn't help but think how much their words ment to their mothers, Caroline and Michelle. 

During Relief Society today we had a wonderful program.  Bishop Smith came and spoke for a few minutes and thanked us for our role not only as mothers, but as women of the church.  His words were touching and heartfelt.  Then the young men of our ward, about 30 or so, came in and recited an amazing scripture in unison while each young men held a paper that stated when he would be eligible to serve a mission.  Seeing Blake stand there in such fine company, reciting that scripture holding his paper that showed he would be eligible to serve a mission in 8 years, 8 months and 19 days was powerful.  There truly is power in the priesthood.  Power in being valiant.  Power in being a servant of God.  For Missionaries Today and 8 Years From Now, Thank You.

*  My Dad.  I know it's Mother's Day, but I couldn't let the day go by without expressing my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for my wonderful dad.  He is strong.  He is valiant in his testimony of Christ.  He serves others more than we probably know.  He loves his country.  He is...my dad and today I want him to know how much I love him. For my Dad, Thank You.