Almost 10 years ago, I was a young adult attending the family ward that I had grown up in. At the time, my dad was the bishop of that ward. When I started attending, he gave me a calling almost immediately- to serve in the nursery. I was SO intimidated. I had never liked kids very much, and always felt both clueless and helpless around them, what was I supposed to do with them for two whole hours every Sunday?
After I accepted the call, I remember asking my dad how I was supposed to magnify a calling in the nursery. Do I give them extra fruit snacks or something? His response to me was simple, "you just love them", he said.
That advice has stayed with me ever since. It feels a little ironic to be talking about the wisdom of my father on Mother's Day, but I have been thinking about that advice lately in my own efforts to be a good mother to my children. I love the simplicity that this mantra brings, especially in difficult moments when I'm struggling to feel like a good mother, because it helps me to reduce all of my worry to just loving them. I can always succeed at that.
Sometimes Mother's Day can feel a little bittersweet, it can be a reminder of how much more we could have done or could be doing for our children. But, when I ask myself "have I loved my children?", the answer is always yes.
Labels: Motherhood, Parenting, Personal Growth