Twas the night before Mother's Day, I was watching a movie with Kevin and Arthur while Derek was at Prom, and suddenly my stomach felt awful. By midnight, I had a full blown stomach bug that kept me up most of the night. Definitely not my idea of a good day, let alone Mother's Day. There was no special breakfast or even a meal at all, since I couldn't even keep down Sprite and toast. Although at one point, Derek did make me Kraft Mac & Cheese, just in case I could eat it, which sadly didn't happen.
I was grateful that Derek was there to help me out, because right before Kevin was going to take the boys to church, the stomach bug hit him as well, and so he was in bed all day. Like I said, it was a good thing that Derek was there to take care of us, because I barely had enough energy to make it to the bathroom, and never even went downstairs the entire day. We still managed to have our family CFM study with Lily - just from our bed - ha ha!
As I spent the day seeing posts and pictures of everyone else's Mother's Day, I was feeling sorry for myself and sad that I had missed out on all the fun of the day, including seeing the kids at church sing and the chocolate they give the moms, etc. But then I started thinking about motherhood, and I started reading about mothers.
"We really are all mothers in Zion. We have a work to do. It stretches into eternity. And like the Master we follow, our love "never faileth." - Sharon Eubank
"A good mom has bad days, and great days, and normal days, overwhelming days, and perfect days, and trying days, and supermom days, and just being a mom days, and a whole lot of love and real crazy motherhood days." - Rachel Marie Martin
"Motherhood is more than bearing children . . . It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our [Heavenly] Father gave us." - Sheri Dew
"To all of our mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ . . . To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are." - Elder Jeffery R. Holland
As I read these inspiring quotes about motherhood and what it is to be a mother, I realized that although I love the idea of this day and my kids celebrating me as their mother ;), that is really not what it is all about. It is about the good days and the hard days, and the frustrating days, and the days when you are filled with sorrow or fear for your child. Motherhood becomes so much a part of our nature, that once you have a child, it is something you will feel for the rest of your life - and beyond, for that matter. It is hard, and it is wonderful, and it is part of our Father in Heaven's plan for us because he wants us to be like him. And he wants for us, imperfect as we are, to help our children return to Him again.
And so, yes, my Mother's Day was not so wonderful, but in spite of that, being a mother is. It is wonderful and terrible, and all the things in between, and I am so grateful for the three children that made me a mother.
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