Week #17 - Mothers

I am so grateful for my mother. She is such an inspiration to me. Quite often I stop to think of all that she has accomplished in her life. A convert to the church, she was a pioneer in her family with the Gospel. No other family members joined the church, but she was an example to them of how to live according to the Gospel. She moved to Hawaii not knowing a soul, but needing a change in her life. It was there that she met my dad and joined the church. She had 5 children in 7 years, moved 13 times in the first 13 years of marriage, supported my father through medical school, helped my dad start his own practice, still works in my dad's office (it was suppose to be "temporary" - going on almost 27 years now!) and has seen all 5 of us get married in the temple to our eternal companions, and now is a grandmother to 16 grandkids!

There are so many reasons why I am grateful to have my mother be a friend in my life. She means a lot to me. I can't imagine the day where I don't have her with me in this life anymore. I don't like to think of that day. So, I enjoy each and every telephone conversation I have with her each day, whether it is 2 minutes or 20 minutes. I love it!

I am also grateful to my Heavenly Father for my three children that have made me a mother. They are each so special and unique. They bring with them their own inherit challenges in raising them. But to have a day without their laughter, smiles, hugs, kisses, and snuggles would be a day that is less than perfect. I could do without the fighting, screaming, yelling, teasing, and so on. But, without all of it, I wouldn't be a mother.