Reflections

I really enjoyed church today. Often times I come home from church not having felt as uplifted as I would like to have, but today was definitely different. Rob and I decided to attend the family relations class instead of gospel doctorine because some friends of ours were teaching the class. The lesson was 'The Sacred Roles Of Fathers And Mothers.' I needed this lesson. I have found myself lately feeling very inadequate as a mother. I tend to focus on all the things I'm doing wrong and not on the things that I'm doing right as a mother. I feel very flawed most of the time. After hearing this lesson, I felt like maybe I am doing some things right. The lesson discussed the 10 things that we as parents can do to be successful mothers and fathers. The 10 things were: 1. Be at the Crossroads. 2. Be a Real Friend. 3. Read to Your Children. 4. Pray with Your Children. 5. Have Weekly Home Evenings. 6. Be Together at Mealtimes. 7. Read Scriptures Daily. 8. Do Things as a Family. 9. Teach Your Children. 10. Truly Love Your Children.
It felt good to know that we are at least trying to do all those things. We fall short and are constantly trying to re-commit ourselves, but we are trying and I think that's what important. There was a part at the end of the lesson that hit me pretty hard and made me emotional. It was a tribute by a son to his mother. It said, "I don't remember much about her views of voting nor her social prestige; and what her ideas on child training, diet and eugenics were, I cannot recall. The main thing that sifts back to me now through the thick undergrowth of years is that she loved me." I hope that my children know how much I love them. I hope after they are all grown and gone that they will remember how much they were loved. I feel so blessed to be a mother and feel such a huge responsibility to do things right. The whole point of the lesson today was that we cannot do it alone. We have to rely on the Savior.