Mother's Day

TCD spoke in Sacrament today.   The little 12 year old boy who spoke right before her was very emotional about his mother and thanked her for the ways she had supported him, helped him feel safe, and taught him the gospel.  He talked about meaningful experiences he had had with his mom and how she was the reason he was able to do all the things he could do.  Here's how TCD opened her talk...

Sometimes people mistake me and my mom for sisters.  When that happens I am quick to confirm that I am 14 and she is 40.  I've heard that our faces look like photocopies of each other, but I think people just say that on the days that she's wearing my clothes.

Hmmm....it's a good thing that I love her sense of humor and I don't mind having the entire ward know that I'm 40 (especially since I'm actually 41.)


Here's another part of her talk...

Mothers have the biggest influence on future generations.  Their love is what helps us to learn and grow.  We need to honor our mothers and listen to them.  They know what's best for us and want us to be the greatest we can be.  Mothers have so much to offer us.  Mothers create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes.  I love my mom so much and I don't know what I would do without her.  We have so many things in common and I know that I can talk to her about anything and she will be there for me and understand. 

I am grateful today for the opportunity to be the mother of four remarkable children.  Everyday they say and do things that absolutely amaze me.  They are becoming smart, beautiful, kind people who want to do their best and help the people around them.  They talk about the Church with their friends.  They stand up for the things they know are right.  They say "I love you" freely and often, not just to their parents, but to each other.  They pray for one another when there are specific needs and challenges.  They have become friends. 
I look forward to the years to come and the people they will be.  

I am also grateful today for the beautiful and amazing mothers in my life... 

My mom, Dollie, taught me for the first 38 years of my life.  She taught me to be honest, to work hard, to listen more than ask questions, to always send thank you cards, and to never leave home without lipstick.  She saw the first footsteps, heard the first words, picked up the pieces after the first boyfriend went away, and saw my graduation from high school and college.  She taught me correct principles and made it possible for me to be in places so that I could find and join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and meet my husband.  And then she was there to give me to him and watch as we started our own family.  She was there for new babies and new homes.  She was strong, graceful and amazingly smart.  I miss her everyday. 

My mom, Chris, gave me life.  And then she gave me the most amazing opportunity when she gave me to my parents.   I have already learned unselfishness, warmth, and the spirit of aloha from her.   We are so much alike that I'm not sure which parts of my personality came from me and which came from her.  She may have missed a few things in the first 40 years, but she will be part of everything that comes in the next.  I love her and I am so grateful to her for all that she has done.  

My mother-in-law, Judith, has known me since I was 16 years old.  She has seen the best and the worst in those years and she has loved me anyway.   From her, I have learned faith, patience, quiet confidence, and the importance of making a list.  She is consistent and reliable at it's best.  I am grateful for her example and I am especially grateful that she raised a son who is my complement in every way.     

Happy Mother's Day!     

the outtakes...just in case you thought we were perfect...

this one actually isn't bad of the girls...it's that little scowly Mack in the front