It was such a sweet Mother's Day. I got to
visit with each of my children in person or by phone for those that live out of
state. I got to hug and kiss so many of
my grandchildren.
Daughter, Corinne and her husband and children are visiting from Connecticut this week.
Yet, it is always day
filled with strong emotion. When I consider whether I gave my children the best
upbringing I could have given them, I always feel I fall short. I don’t think I have ever lived a perfect day
as a mother. This reflection is not a onetime
thing I do yearly, it is most often a daily thing I think about when I pray in
the morning and go to bed at night. My daily thoughts question what kind of
wife, daughter, friend, neighbor and all-around citizen am I really?. There are too many times I gave too much and
other times I gave too little. There were
times when I made decisions out of fear or selfishness or were simply the
fruits of pride. But, I prayed often, and I wanted to keep the covenants I made to God and my spouse at
the time of my marriage. I have loved my
life and have loved the principles of truth I have come to know. I look forward to each day and upon
awakening, I look forward to what I can learn that day, even when I am in the
fields of adversity because that is where the greatest truths are often
mined.
My daughters and a daughters-in-law number 10 in all
Today, I just took the opportunity to mostly observe
my daughters and daughters-in-law and the men in their lives as it relates to
their dedication to the concept of motherhood.
My daughters who are married, or soon to be married, have chosen men who
have the courage to become fathers and who have and will continue to support
them in their role of mothering. My unmarried daughters are looking for men who will support
them in the role of motherhood and desire to live by faith. These unmarried daughters also support their sisters
who are mothers by babysitting and encouraging them in the daily caring of
their children. My husband was willing
to shoulder the financial burden of our family while we had children who weren’t
yet in school full-time. My sons and
sons-in-law have committed to do the same.
My daughters are willing to suspend involvement in careers and time-consuming
commitments and/or hobbies during that crucial time as well. Even at home business ventures can be
terribly distracting. It takes literal miracles in today’s world to put first
things first. But, miracles were and
always have been required of the faithful, but imperfect, from the time of Adam
forward. I believe that taking 30 years off from
outside employment during these crucial years was the best decision we ever
made as a couple. There are times and
circumstances where this isn’t possible, and the Lord will compensate that
family in a host of ways. Prayer and
faith will help each couple make the best decisions for the welfare of their family. Those
prayers will include how to spend their time, how to parent, and where to live.
My oldest daughter, Jeanette, with her children. They visited with the oldest son today who is serving a mission in Madagascar.
Alyse is our youngest. She will graduated from High School this year. I just graduated with my Master of Social Work Degree.
What sacrifices are we willing to make in
behalf of our children? I love my
husband’s definition of sacrifice: It is
simply giving up something for something better. In the end, we hope to learn that we chose
the better part.
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