Don't most Mom's do this though? No matter what our lot in life, whether we stay at home or work, don't we all fill every moment with things we feel are important to us and our families?
I have to admit that initially my top priority for the night was to be in bed by 9:30. Why? 1) Because Wes is at a concert and I find it's always easier to go to bed early when he's not around tempting me to stay up with him, and 2) As stated earlier, I fell asleep while typing...not a good thing to do on company time. But alas, it's 9:45 and I sit here at the computer waiting for a load of whites to finish in the washer so that I can switch them to the dryer. Again, you may ask why? Well, let me explain.
In October 2012, Elder L. Tom Perry gave a talk that has become life altering to me, called Becoming Goodly Parents. In his talk he reads a letter that he had written many years earlier to his mother. It is a beautiful letter, but the part that has always been so significant to me is a line that most would probably skim over and never pay much attention, it is when Elder Perry says to his Mother, "Whenever I got out of bed in the morning, I never had to worry about whether I'd find a clean shirt and clean socks."
I want to be "that" mom. My Mom was "that" mom. I'm pretty sure my Grandmothers were "that" mom. I imagine there are many women out there are "that" mom. You know what I mean, the mom who reads a bedtime story to her children, who makes a fun lunch for them to take to school, who crafts with them in their free time, who always makes sure they have clean socks in the morning. However, it's not easy being "that" mom. Frequently I'm tired at night and would rather skip the bedtime story, lunches are often thrown together last minute ruining any chance of being "fun", crafting, well that's a whole other world to me, but clean socks...I can do clean socks. It's one simple thing that I hope will stand out to my children years down the road when they think back about their Mom.
Nations may never praise my name, in the tapestry of the world, my life is but a miniscule little thread. Yet even one thread contributes to the beauty, even if it's small, and I want my thread to shine because of the little things I do for my family...like clean socks.
One of my favorite quotes is by Neal A. Maxwell, he states, "When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens (or laundry rooms) prove to be more controlling than what happend in congresses?"
So here I sit, it's now 10:15pm and I have a little smile on my face as I know the washer is almost done and soon I will have clean socks for my sweet children when they wake tomorrow. They may never know that I sacrificed my sleep or how important it was for me to give them clean socks, but I hope they will be able to look back one day and know just how much their Mom loved them.
3 comments:
Yay you're posting again! I was just thinking about your blog and how much I miss reading it.
Even being a nanny it got really overwhelming and seemed impossible at times. But it made me admire all that mothers do that much more!
I don't know if you know how highly I think of you! I'm so glad I have you as a great example to look up to. Yes we all have our flaws but you amaze me that you are raising and truly involved with your family, while having the career you wanted. You do it with neither one seeming to fall short, and it's something I hope to be able to balance one day! Thank you, thank you for being so wonderful, and such an amazing friend!
Love this! Made me teary. You are a great mom and your kids are blessed to have you!
You are amazing Mary! I don't know how you do it! You are truly a supermom! Wes and your kiddos are lucky to have you in their lives!
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