Thoughts coming together

This post has been in the making for some time now. It came together today. I'm not sure of all the future a-ha moments I might still have regarding these things, but I wanted to write a few thoughts so that I can remember them.

I often grumble about the small mundane tasks before me each day. You have no idea! I could fill a book. Most days, I'm holding on by a thread. That single thread has recently joined forces with a few more threads. From a book called "I am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson I am learning that my role as a mother is a powerful tool to bring great happiness in the lives of those I influence. So, I get to shape the lives of my family and hopefully do so without lasting damage (no pressure).

Last Saturday night at the General Relief Society Meeting, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught me that I could be a creator like my Father in Heaven. Not just in creating life, but in creating love in my home, beauty in my yard, kindness in my words, a strong family, a growing testimony, etc... Even this blog is a way that I can create and something that I can enjoy. So, I get to be a creator of life and in the lives of those around me (i.e. my children).

In Relief Society on Sunday, we talked of the beauty in each of us and how we are all different but contribute to the whole. It's not one big thing that we do to make a difference, but several small seemingly insignificant acts that come together over time to make something beautiful. “Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6). So, through the small and simple acts (the mundane stuff) great and beautiful things can be created.

Elder Ballard in last conference said "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children." Elder Ballard also taught me that I should develop my own talents. He said "find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them." So I don't have to be just like other mothers, I just need to be the best mother I can be. Also, I get to develop my own talents! Right now I'm focusing on pilates and reading, but in the future maybe I'll pick up the violin again.

So there it is, my a-ha moment.
Being a mother is a powerful role in which I can create something of beauty through the small and simple things I do each day in caring for my family. I will try to remember this when B writes with permanent marker on the walls again. Also, I am going to focus on the things that make me happy: My boys in white shirts and ties on Sunday, a good meal, working out at the gym, crafting (beading, braiding, scrapbooking, painting), reading a good book, talking with friends, my flower garden, kissing my husband in the kitchen, clothes shopping with Boo, reading blogs, organizing my home, laughing, seeing a child learn something new, snuggling with my little ones.



The pictures are flowers in my garden! I have enjoyed them all spring and summer and now into fall. I love looking at them. I will miss them dearly in the winter.