When my sister and I were young, my mother would teach us many songs. I can still hear my
little sister at the age of 3, belting out one of my favorites at the top of her lungs,
as she cradled one of her dolls.
When I grow up
I want to be a mother, and raise a family
1 little 2 little 3 little babies of my own
and I will love them all day long and
give them candies and cookies and yellow balloons
I have always had the desire to be a mother. As a young girl, I strove towards this goal eagerly. I made plans of the things I needed to learn, talents I would need to develop, knowledge I would need to gleam in my college courses in the hopes that when the time would come to help with homework or answer questions about the world around us and about our Father in Heaven's creations, I wouldn't seem too much of a simpleton. But first, I had to ask myself a couple of questions," What is a mother? What is her role?"
Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer in my youngest sons Kindergarten class. They were eagerly working on their Mother Day Gifts. Part of the gift included a list of things about their mother, who she is and her role. Here are some of the answers.
What is a mother? Natalie said, "Somebody that takes care of you. She be's happy. She is someone who is nice."
What is something a mother always says to you?
"I love you", said little Malo and Amber. Chase agreed but added, " She tells me I do good stuff for her." Noah answered with, " Clean your room!"
What does a mother do?
According to Little Ciela, a mother cleans.
When asked how tall his mother was, little Ishmael answered, " Like this (reaches his hands above his head), SO HIGH! As top as Jesus." He says she's good at cooking and shooting Nerf guns. When asked what she wasn't good at, he replied, " Catching lizards. She's too slow."
When Benjamin was asked,What is a mommy?
He replied "A woman."
What does a mommy do?
He says, "She cooks."
Little Benjamin is right. All of them are right.
What is a mommy?...A woman.
The definition of Motherhood is:
1.the state of being a mother; maternity.
2.the qualities or spirit of a mother.
3.mothers collectively.
I love that it states Collectively- We, all of us, together as Daughters of God.
Some of you women do not presently have children in your lives. Some women are required to wait to have children for reasons known only to the Lord. For any righteous woman, the delay isn't easy. Some of us, then, must simply find other ways to mother. Whether you're a grandmother, aunt, sister, stepmother, mothers-in-law, leader, or a mentor who sometimes fill the gaps for these significant mother-child relationships, all women have within their divine nature both the inherent talent and the stewardship to mother. All around us are those who need to be loved and led.
All of us, not just some of us, have a sacred role to preform.When I grow up
I want to be a mother, and raise a family
1 little 2 little 3 little babies of my own
and I will love them all day long and
give them candies and cookies and yellow balloons
I have always had the desire to be a mother. As a young girl, I strove towards this goal eagerly. I made plans of the things I needed to learn, talents I would need to develop, knowledge I would need to gleam in my college courses in the hopes that when the time would come to help with homework or answer questions about the world around us and about our Father in Heaven's creations, I wouldn't seem too much of a simpleton. But first, I had to ask myself a couple of questions," What is a mother? What is her role?"
Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer in my youngest sons Kindergarten class. They were eagerly working on their Mother Day Gifts. Part of the gift included a list of things about their mother, who she is and her role. Here are some of the answers.
What is a mother? Natalie said, "Somebody that takes care of you. She be's happy. She is someone who is nice."
What is something a mother always says to you?
"I love you", said little Malo and Amber. Chase agreed but added, " She tells me I do good stuff for her." Noah answered with, " Clean your room!"
What does a mother do?
According to Little Ciela, a mother cleans.
When asked how tall his mother was, little Ishmael answered, " Like this (reaches his hands above his head), SO HIGH! As top as Jesus." He says she's good at cooking and shooting Nerf guns. When asked what she wasn't good at, he replied, " Catching lizards. She's too slow."
When Benjamin was asked,What is a mommy?
He replied "A woman."
What does a mommy do?
He says, "She cooks."
Little Benjamin is right. All of them are right.
What is a mommy?...A woman.
The definition of Motherhood is:
1.the state of being a mother; maternity.
I love that it states Collectively- We, all of us, together as Daughters of God.
Some of you women do not presently have children in your lives. Some women are required to wait to have children for reasons known only to the Lord. For any righteous woman, the delay isn't easy. Some of us, then, must simply find other ways to mother. Whether you're a grandmother, aunt, sister, stepmother, mothers-in-law, leader, or a mentor who sometimes fill the gaps for these significant mother-child relationships, all women have within their divine nature both the inherent talent and the stewardship to mother. All around us are those who need to be loved and led.
Sister Sherry Dew stated : "While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living” —and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us"
We, sisters are very special to our Father in Heaven. He has entrusted to us a sacred duty.
President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “God planted within women something divine.” That something is the gift and the gifts of motherhood. Elder Matthew Cowley taught that “men have to have something given to them [in mortality] to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. [They] are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls … and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children.”
Sister Sherry Dew shared a story about an experience she had with her nieces on an outing. The streets were blocked and the only way to the chapel was through a certain street. The street was full of a drunken crowd. She said it was no place for teenage girls or their Aunt. As they walk through, she instructed them to stay close to her. Of the experience she says, " Thankfully, we finally made it to the chapel. But for one unnerving hour, I better understood how mothers who forgo their own safety to protect a child must feel. My siblings had entrusted me with their daughters, whom I love, and I would have done anything to lead them to safety. Likewise, our Father has entrusted us as women with His children, and He has asked us to love them and help lead them safely past the dangers of mortality back home."
Society and Satan would have us forget this.
Elder Richard G. Scott said, "So many of our sisters are disheartened, even discouraged, and disillusioned. Others are in serious trouble because of the choices they make. Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to deceive the daughters of God and divert them from their divine destiny. He well knows women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family. He would focus their interests solely on their physical attributes and rob them of their exalting roles as wives and mothers. He has convinced many of the lie that they are third-class citizens in the kingdom of God. That falsehood has led some to trade their divinely given femininity for male coarseness."
I have often felt the pangs and doubts that come with the struggles of trying not to feel third-class. It seems that every where we go, woman are painted, cut, tucked and pulled and demeaned in movies, t.v., ads, the internet. It almost impossible to escape. Doubt then tries to creep in and tries to replace confidence. Sadness replaces happiness and a feeling of discontent starts to settle in. Recently while I was using the internet, I decided that I had had enough of it. The prophets have counciled us to guard ourselves and to be careful as to what we watch and read and I was. But, I decided I needed to step it up a notch. I started limiting myself as to how much time is spent with these media's. I started to spend more time doing good in my home away from the media. Daily I look in the mirror and remind myself that I am capable of true beauty. My husband helps me by reminding me daily as well, so does my family. Only when I stay away from these damaging medias can the Holy Ghost step in to comfort and strengthen me. Only then can my husband's and families words reach and uplift me.
And so, I say to you: "Sisters you ARE beautiful. You are special. You are Father in Heaven's Supreme Creation."
President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that,
"Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth"
It is very hard, especially in todays society to remember this about woman, especially when it comes to ourselves. We are constantly being told to be something we're not, or will never be. We're told our natural selves are anything but good and far from desirable.
President Packer tells us that, "It is, unfortunately, all too easy to illustrate the confusion and distortion of womanhood in contemporary society. Immodest, immoral, intemperate women jam the airwaves, monopolize magazines, and slink across movie screens—all while being celebrated by the world."
I recently read an article about True Beauty a woman can posses by:
Susan J. Berryhill in the South East Arizona Traveler
It was about a famous singer who had been announced as the Worlds most Beautiful woman in Peoples magazine. Susan thought that this was a sad and narrow minded observation since there are so many beautiful woman out there. Sure, the famous singer was outwardly beautiful and had an amazing singing voice, but Susan disagreed as to it being True Beauty. She wrote:
"True beauty is the single working mother who sometimes has to work two jobs to provide for her family, who still gets her kids to their activities, helps with homework, struggles to make ends meets, and calms fears on stormy nights. She rarely finds a moment here and there for herself.
True beauty is the young woman who holds on to her value system in a very confusing world, works hard at her education, and has a passion for sports. She doesn’t believe or buy into what the world says young women should look, dress, and act like. She stands out like a beacon of light, and she offers a hand up to those around her struggling, and especially to those that are “troubled.” She is a force for good and has plans for her future. She protects her virtue and doesn’t apologize for it.
True beauty is the career woman who values her family as well as her career, and she somehow finds time for both. She has a passion for learning, and she instills it in her children. She is involved in her children’s lives, in her community, and she uses her intellect and skills to make this world a better place.
True beauty is the stay at home mother who gave up a career to honor what she feels is her calling: that of Mother. She wears many hats, none of them grudgingly. She nurtures and teaches her children the best she can. She knows that no one can protect her children like her, especially the little ones, from the on-slaught of a world filled with too much violence, too much hate, and too little hope. She knows that there is much truth in the statement that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
True beauty is the woman who never had a chance to marry and have a family, even though she wanted one. She refuses to wallow in self-pity, and she lives the most productive life she can. She is a loving and giving daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend.
True beauty is the woman who is a loving wife, and values her family and marriage above all things. She is the heart of her home and her daily loving actions are weaving a quilt of love that time will not erase. She creates in her home a real refuge from the adversities of life, and a safe haven for all the individuals and individual personalities that comprise her family."
I remember seeing True Beauty in my Grandmother. I had seen pictures of her when she was younger, full of life. Long curly hair, sparkling eyes and long smooth legs.
I remember looking into this woman's eyes as I helped her bathe and dress because she was now past 90 and too frail to help herself. I remember seeing her eyes now hazy by cataracts, her face weathered and wrinkled, her once long thick mane now short and thin and her shoulders permanently bent. Despite the "flaws" of old age, all I really saw was such grace, wisdom, such humility and such regal beauty. Her eyes still sparkled and each wrinkle was a laugh or thought that she may of had. Her body and skin now stretched and marked, testifying of her sacrifice to birth 8 children and loosing 2 of them before their first birthday. Many many people from miles around would travel to thank this woman at her now extreme age for her good works and years of service,bringing her gifts or flowers. Many were too poor and only had kisses and tears of gratitude to offer. I even witnessed a man, who's parents she had help many years earlier, drop to his knees before her and kiss her hands while thanking her, as tears flowed down his face. One would have thought she was royalty. She was, to them.They saw her beauty.
Her children loved her. She, as well as her daughters and especially my mother imprinted upon me the very meaning of a beautiful virtuous daughter of God, as I watched them in my youth. All of them full of service, caring, giving, nurturing, selfless. They LOVED their Father in Heaven. They had a strong relationship with him and they glowed because of it. They were strong. They had followed my Grandmother's example and had become woman of God.One of the best ways to teach is by example. How else will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God looks like, as in what we wear, watch, and read; how we fill our time and our minds; how we face temptation and uncertainty; where we find true joy; and why modesty and femininity are hallmarks of righteous women? How will our young men learn to value women of God if we don’t show them the virtue of our virtues?
Elder Packer says, "Mothers, your example is extremely important to your daughters—even if they don’t acknowledge it. " "My dear young women, with all my heart I urge you not to look to contemporary culture for your role models and mentors. Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord’s standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective. Look to your mother. Learn from her strengths, her courage, and her faithfulness. Listen to her. She may not be a whiz at texting; she may not even have a Facebook page. But when it comes to matters of the heart and the things of the Lord, she has a wealth of knowledge."
He encourages us to Love our mothers. Respect her. Listen to her. Trust her. He reminds us that she has our best interests at heart. She cares about our eternal safety and happiness. So be kind to her. Be patient with her imperfections, for she has them. We all do.
We have a choice as to what kind of woman we'll be, what kind of mothers and examples that we'll become. Women of God or Women of the world.
I am reminded of a quote that I once heard and loved.
It's by Sister Margaret Nagauld -
"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."
I say sisters, let us continue to choose to be Woman of God.
We have so much that can help guide us on the path of our Father in Heaven. We can look not only to our Prophet, leaders and the scriptures, we can look to other righteous woman and follow their example.
I'd like to ask you, Sisters, to turn and look at each other. See each others true beauty. Maybe it's a smile.Maybe it's a twinkle in the eye or the wrinkles from years of laughter, tears and experience gained. Maybe it's in her hands that she's trained so well while developing a talent and years of service. As a daughter of God, you are truly beautiful and very special to him. Let us remember this daily and not just on Mother's day.
Now Brethren, I haven't forgotten about you. It says in the Family Proclamation " Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord”. Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations." One of the best things you can do for your children is to love your wife. To treat her with respect. Your children will learn from you example. Your daughters will understand what it means to be cherished. They'll be less likely to question their value as a woman.Your sons will learn how to be respectful in return. They'll learn how they should treat woman.
I ask you to turn and look at your wives and daughters. See their unique beauty. Remember it. Help them to remember it daily. You are needed just as much. We, woman cannot and should not have to do this alone.
Tell your wife you love her. Tell your mothers, daughters and sisters. They need to hear it more often then you realize.
Richard G. Scott-
Tell your mother how you love her. It will give her great joy. Let us be grateful to our Father in Heaven for His precious daughters. Let us help them as much as we can. Then let us encourage every woman who questions her value to turn to her Heavenly Father and His glorified Son for a supernal confirmation of her immense individual worth.
Sisters:
Remember who you are. Don't give in the adversary's lies that would distract and destroy us.
Remember your sacred role as a mother and the divine qualities given to you to accomplish this.
Remember to look around. See those that need you and your influence. We don't have to bear children to be mothers.
The little children in the kindergarten class were right. " A woman is someone who is nice. She be's happy. She takes care of you . She is a woman."
If we really want to make a difference, it will happen as we mother those we have borne and those we are willing to bear with.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
