A Moral Force

Today was a tough Mommy day. I was feeling stuck and couldn't remember the last time I'd left the house alone. I was getting tired of things being undone shortly after I'd cleaned or washed. I was feeling inadequate because I had yelled over something silly that morning. This whole motherhood gig just isn't as easy as I had envisioned it growing up. The demands are never ceasing. Finley has croup and is up through the night. Sick kids are hard. I wasn't getting anything done because all he wanted to do was snuggle. Mr. Stannix has been up to his ears in work and I've done a lot of bedtimes solo. I think the lack of sleep has caught up with me finally. 

I put Finley down for a nap while the boys played in the backyard and then I slumped over my kitchen counter and scrolled through my phone for something uplifting. I happened upon a really great talk (here) by D. Todd Christofferson that touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes it's so hard to feel valued as a mother when no body seems to recognize the good you are striving to do each day. His words were exactly what I needed to hear and I wept as I read this paragraph.

"Her ability to perform feats of lifting, bending, and balancing with her children was near superhuman. The demands on her were many and her tasks often repetitive and mundane, yet under neath it all was a beautiful serenity, a sense of being about God's work. As with the Savior, she was ennobled by blessing others through service and sacrifice. She was love personified."

-D. Todd Christofferson

The words comforted me as I read them. Somebody understands, I thought to myself. It was a good reminder as I struggled with the mundane tasks of motherhood this afternoon, that I am doing God's work. What I do is important even if it isn't recognized. I prayed to have the grace and love to push through and be a good example to my children. My boys came in from playing and caught me wiping away tears. Neither of them said anything, but Hyrum wrapped his arms around my neck before heading downstairs.

"In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother's love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses..."

-D. Todd Christofferson

I could copy an paste the whole talk on here, I loved it so much. It brought me out of my feelings of self doubt and sadness and helped me remember how divine this role of motherhood is. As I plugged away at dishes and cleaning the rest of the afternoon, I tried to do it with a grateful smile and a sense of pride. Afterall, this is God's work, and with the way the world is these days I am grateful to stay home and be a moral force in the lives of my children.

"Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?" -Neal A. Maxwell