Happy Mother's Day!

I want to dedicate this post to my mom, since mother’s day is tomorrow. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the impact that mothers have on the world. I’ve also been realizing that I don’t need to be a mother, to have an influence on those around me. As a single woman, I still have the opportunity of nurturing others and have an impact on their lives. I am grateful for the women around who are nurturing towards me and so kind and patient.

One of my favorite talks about mothers was given at the 2007 General Conference, by Julie B Beck titled Mothers who Know.  In she mentioned that “mothers who know… desire to bear children, honor sacred ordinances and covenants, are nurturers, leaders, teachers, do less, and stand strong and immoveable”. Not only do mothers choices and actions affect their children, but also their communities.

My mom’s mother Nada Smith was an example of each of those qualities. She was a mother figure to me, and greatly impacted my life. Even though we were 60 years apart, she was my best friend. We have similar sense of humors and we always enjoyed our time together. She taught me the importance of the Temple, and she’s the reason I’ve made the Temple such a huge part of my life. Even though the pain of her death still lingers, the memory of her is still carried in my heart. I owe so much to her, and my goal is to carry out her legacy, through my faithfulness.

Elaine S Dalton in the April 2013 conference in her talk titled We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, talked about the importance of women. She mentioned, “as daughters of God we are each unique and different in our circumstances and experiences. And yet our part matters- because we matter. Our daily contribution of nurturing, teaching and caring for others may seem mundane, diminished, difficult, and demeaning, at times, and yet as we remember that first line in the Young Women theme- we are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us- it will make all the difference in our relationship and our responses.” Strong and capable mothers know that God is their Father, and they love others as He loves.

On October 2004, the prophet at the time, President Gordan B Hinckley gave a touching talk titled The Women in our Lives. He mentioned, “the women in our lives are creatures endowed with particular qualities, divine qualities, which cause them to reach out in kindness and with love to those around them.” President Hinckley always showed respect for women, and taught the significance of mothers.

This mother’s day is a bitter/sweet holiday for me this year, because I won’t be with my mom for it. She lives in Arizona, and I’m attending school in Idaho right now. She gave me life, and I attribute the woman I’ve become to her. Because of my mom I have red hair, green eyes, a beautiful and unique name, a love for music and westie dogs. She taught me the importance of service by giving me an example by giving of herself, time and energy to others. When people mention that they notice how important service is to me, I always attribute it to mom. Thank you mom for creating me and for loving me! I love you!