Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the WONDERFUL Mothers in my life. My mother, my amazing mother-in-law, my sister and my sister-in-laws. They are all great examples to me! This morning I woke up to my wonderful husband and my smiling son who was SO excited to give me a card that plays Super Man music. Love him! I am so grateful to be a mother and I am so grateful for how I became a mother!  At church Carter got to go up with the Primary kids in Sacrament Meeting and sing Primary songs about Mothers. I play the piano for the primary so he didn't want to stand by the kids but sat with me on the piano bench while I played. Love that he is old enough to do that. The last speaker in Sacrament Meeting was our Stake President  who read this from the talk given by President Boyd K. Packer in this last April 2014 General Conference

"Parenthood is a sacred privilege, and depending upon faithfulness, it can be an eternal blessing.  The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that man and his wife and their children can be happy at home.

Those who do not marry or those who cannot have children are not excluded from the eternal blessings they seek but which, for now, remain beyond their reach.  We do not always know how or when blessings will present themselves, but the promise of eternal increase will not be denied any faithful individual who makes and keeps sacred covenants.

Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son.  You will be given a personal assurance from Them that your life will be full and that no blessing that is essential will be lost to you.

As a servant of the Lord, acting in the office to which I have been ordained, I give those in such circumstances a promise that there will be nothing essential to your salvation and exaltation that shall not in due time rest upon you.  Arms now empty will be filled, and hearts now hurting from broken dreams and yearning will be healed. " 

After he read these words the feelings I have had in the past on Mother's Day when I so longed for a child came flooding back and I shed some tears. After that I had really mixed emotions about this day.  My heart ached for all those who long and pray to have children but whose arms remain empty still. It's hard! I hope today they don't hear the words "you are still a mother even if you don't have children" "if you just have more faith God will bless you with children" "I have a friend who couldn't have children for x amount of years and then they got pregnant" As much as those words are meant out of love they hurt and they are hard to hear by those who are going through this hard time.  I do hope that their loved ones will put their arms around them and give them a big hug and let them know how much they are loved!
Before we were blessed with Carter I read the book called Unsung Lullaby . After that, on Mother's Day I would celebrate "No Socks and Drink a Coke Day" because it took the sting out of the day. Later I learned that those are real holidays that happen around Mother's Day. Now even though I am a mother I still celebrate those holidays along with Mother's Day :)
I am so grateful to be a mother and I am so grateful for how I became a mother! For all those who are still hoping to be a mother I say you are loved! There are so many of us who know what you are going through because we have been there. Your Heavenly Father knows you and knows very well you hops and longings. The promises of our Heavenly Father and our leaders are true!