"Motherhood
is a holy calling, a sacred dedication for carrying out the Lord’s
work, a consecration and devotion to the rearing and fostering, the
nurturing of body, mind, and spirit of those who kept their first estate
and who came to this earth for their second estate to learn and be
tested and to work toward godhood. The
role of mother, then, is to help those children to keep their second
estate, so that they might have glory added upon their heads forever and
ever."
Coincidentally, President Kimball's shared these remarks just before my parents were sealed for time and all eternity in the Provo Temple, and my mother may have read them in the Ensign while I was in her womb. I am grateful for my beautiful mother who taught me by example and by precept to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The best tribute that I can give to her and to all conscientious mothers would be to live in a manner in which to be able to echo the declaration of the valiant young warriors of the Book of Mormon:
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the aliberty of their bfathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their cmothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
And they rehearsed unto me the words of their amothers, saying: We bdo not doubt our mothers knew it." (Alma 56:47-48)
Although your efforts, great and small, too often go unnoticed and unrecognized by the world, they do not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. To my mom, thank you. I love you. And to all good mothers past, present and future, thank you. Happy Mother's day!
