Mothers, Part 2

This isn't the part 2 I had planned on (that's half written and will come).  But as I was praying last night, I thought about my blog post and I wanted to make sure the following was said so explicitly that you can't miss it.

I admire parents so deeply I can't really think of words to explain how it makes me feel. I admire you. I respect you. I love you. I'm thankful for you. Especially for you young parents. My peers, who I've watched start this journey and who have shared parts of it with me.

On days when I feel like I can't take care of myself, I think of you taking care of yourselves and your children. And I feel so much awe.

On days when the world depresses me and the wickedness of the world is so overwhelming that I kind of don't want to live in it anymore, one of the main things that brings me hope is thinking about my friends and family raising their little families in the gospel. I mean that very, very literally. There are days when I think I can't stand it anymore and I think, very purposefully, of you.* Of Carrie. Of Meg. Of Megan. Of Cheryl-Lynn. Of Laura. Of Deanna, who has shared, perhaps more than anyone else I've ever known, the ups and downs of parenting. And of many more whom I know [you're just the ones I think might read this--so if someone else needs a shout-out--just let me know]; And then I just imagine the ones I don't know! I think of you teaching your children the gospel. Of singing Primary songs and telling scriptures stories. Of praying. Of teaching values and knowledge. Of loving and raising righteous little sons and daughters. And it brings peace to my troubled soul and reminds me that much is right in the world.

I think that perhaps that's why I feel sad and frustrated and even a little troubled when I hear good, righteous mothers apologizing for their imperfections. I kind-of want to shake them and say: Are you kidding me?  Don't you understand how very, very blessed your child is to grow up with you? Don't you realize how much you're doing for him/her/them? And for me? And for the other people around you? And for our whole entire world?  

You didn't have to be a mother. You chose to! And for that alone I respect and admire you and am grateful to you. For that alone you should feel the gratitude of Heaven and of so many people.

Truly, I cannot express the emotions that well up and as I think about how much I admire you mothers.

As I said last post: If I feel so much love, admiration and gratitude, I cannot begin to imagine how God feels toward you.


Two little postscript thoughts: Watching my friends and sisters-in-law (and cousins, etc.) being young parents, I have gained a greater love and appreciation for the "old" parents in my life--mine, my aunts and uncles and others who I knew as a young child. To me then, they were just parents. That's who they were, right? Watching now, I've gained so much love and appreciation for them and that's been a special thing too.

*For those of you who read this and are mothers and have your own blogs: Thank you for sharing pictures and stories from your parenting. I mean it quite literally when I talk about thinking of you and your gospel-centered homes to bring me peace and hope. And I'm grateful that you share parts of that (good, bad and otherwise) so that I have those images to hold onto.