As daughters of Eve, we are born with innate, divine qualities. We are born daughters, sisters, mothers. Sheri Dew's talk "Are We Not All Mothers?" is so fantastic. Read it. Read it in its entirety. Sister Dew states, "As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation." It's funny...or sad, maybe...that I never think of Samantha as a mother. I do, however, think of Callie as a mother. I talk to her about it. I look for opportunities to teach her, both by example and by word, what a mother is and the kind of mother she can be. She talks to me about being a mom one day. I imagine her a mom with her babies, children, teenagers, and her own adult children. I see that in her future and I am trying to prepare her for that.
Sammy? I don't think about that. That's not a bad thing, I don't think. Though it may be, it most likely is not in her earthly future to be a mother. But, she is one isn't she? She, like I, was born to be a mother. And so, even if she doesn't have children during this lifetime, she can still mother. And this whole thing has me thinking about how Samantha is a mother. About her innate divinity.
Sheri Dew talked about our responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. Samantha loves. She loves without reservation. And her love makes others not only feel good, but I can't help but believe that her love makes them love more deeply -- that they somehow take what she gives to them, and they pass it on. A mother does that. Samantha does that, too.
She leads the rising generation. Samantha's influence goes beyond our family. But even if it didn't, she is teaching Callie daily. She will teach our other children. In her school and at church, her peers are positively touched by her as they play as peers and friends. These children are also learning a lesson of service as they help her, are kind to her, and treat her as the child of God that she is. She doesn't lead in the conventional way...she doesn't stand in front of the room and teach us how to be...rather, she is what we need to be. She is kind and without guile. She is leading us all every single day. A mother leads the rising generation. Samantha does that, too.
Mothers "teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary" (Sheri Dew). I recently talked to my own mom about how they must have done something right because we all turned out pretty well. I decided that however it was that they did it, we all understood where to turn -- to the Lord. We learned how to pray, how to get back on the path if we ever strayed, and how to find peace admist pain. Yes, my own mother taught me those things, but Samantha solidified those lessons. She has taught me to find peace. She taught me where to seek truth. She taught me that the power of Jesus Christ is more powerful than anything else. And she continues to do so. A mother does that...and so does Samantha.
One day Samantha will be a mother in the way that many think of motherhood. One day she will have the opportunity to raise her own children. It may not be during this lifetime, but until then, she is developing her divine qualities as a mother in the best way she can...and really, I think she may be doing a better job than I'm doing. It's strange to think of it this way, but I think Samantha and I have been mothering each other for the past six years...and I hope it'll be for many more years to come.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart. I love you.
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| Blurry, but happy. Birthday #4, 2010 |
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