REFLECTIONS - My Mom

Mom has always enjoyed God's creations.

She and dad were always working on the yard. She had a lot of iris flowers in many assorted colors and other beautiful flowers and trees. When I see iris' I think of my mother. There was always a big veggie and fruit garden too. I remember lemon cucumbers that were unique and delicious, and raspberries that were the highlight of a family reunion we had at the house one year and the elderly gentleman really enjoyed picking and eating those berries. There was beauty all around our yard in flowers, trees, dirt mounds, lawn paths, and just the arrangement of it all.

She enjoyed animals on the farm. We had several different kinds of animals, but it seems to me that mom was especially fond of chickens and other types of birds/fowl. We had several different kinds of chickens. Some for eggs, some for meat, some for beauty and enjoyment. We also had ducks and geese. It was fun to see the mommas wandering the yard with their trail of chicks behind them. We also had guinni hens, (I don't know how to spell guinni) and it seems that I remember the elderly gentlemen, at that reunion I mentioned earlier, finding enjoyment in shooting at those ugly things. (oops, did I say ugly?)

After mom and dad moved to Longview they could no longer have the farm animals, but they did get some chickens and enjoyed them for several years. Now they too are gone, but mom puts out seeds for the birds and squirrels, and I think we've even seen a hummingbird or two. And the yard is still beautiful.

All of this enjoyment was not hers alone, but it was shared with my dad. They work together to create a place of beauty and enjoyment. They have always worked together, and they continue to do so today.

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

When I had a problem or concern as a child or teenager, and as a new mother, I could always count on my mom to listen and reply with a loving and helpful suggestion for me. Once a mom, always a mom, so I can still go to her and know that she will be willing to listen and help me in whatever way she can.

Long ago she taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father and seek His counsel and guidance, and that advice is among her best advice. So, I am able to vent my frustrations and ask for help from my loving mother, and I am also able to pray to our loving Heavenly Father and receive divine guidance and comfort. The two together can give great strength in time of need and I love and appreciate my mother for all of her teachings.

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

My mom could make a meal out of anything to feed our large family. We would often have extended family gatherings and enjoy moms homemade tortillas, tacos and enchiladas. Everyone loved them. Though she doesn't make the tortillas as often anymore, we do still enjoy her enchiladas at family reunions. It is a tradition that everyone wants to continue.

She has always created wonderful meals and she still sends great recipes my way.

She doesn't like to cook as much anymore, but certainly has her share of big meals to provide as we all gather for family gatherings, and they always include meals. There is always so much good food. It is true that a lot of memories center around the kitchen table or at least around the kitchen.

If ever there comes a time when mom might stop cooking we would miss it, but it wouldn't be too critical, because we know that "It's not so much what's on the table that matters, as what's on the chairs."

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

I remember the many hours of hard work my mom put into preserving food. I helped a bit, but I'm sure I learned it mostly from watching because she was always so fast and good at it. She liked to put the fruit in the jar so that it was laying just right to make it look pretty. I enjoy doing the same. I've often thought that it is almost like creating a masterpiece. Much like an artist might paint a picture then sit back and look at it and admire his/her work. I love to open my pantry and see the finished project lined up in the clear jars with the beautiful colors of peaches, pears, tomatoes, apricots, etc. It is a lot of work, but it feels and looks good, and tastes great. It also turns my heart back to my childhood days as I recall the rows of jars in our basement as I was growing up.

Something I do not do like she did is make bread. I wish I did, but it's just too hard on me to knead it, and I don't have a bread mixer. She would make a lot of bread and it was so delicious, which meant we would want to eat it, and it wouldn't last long, so she would have to make more. I do remember dad helping her too.

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

Mom has always been so very talented and creative. I remember her making a lot of different things as I was growing up. She has sewn quilts and costumes and created things to make one never believe she was not a professional seamstress. She has made unique crafts, assembled beautiful arrangements, and created some beautiful decorations. She can create and design, and make anything look beautiful - it just seems to come natural to her. She has taken up China painting the last several years and has painted some beautiful plates, vases, and lamps. She has always had a beautiful home and yard. Each room in her house is a work of art. Her Christmas trees are gorgeous. She creates beauty all around. There is beauty and grace in her very being. Creating is a big part of womanhood, and she does that so very well.

As I was writing this I was reminded of a Relief Society Broadcast last fall, when Elder Uchtdorf said, "Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." My mother creates this way, and we are blessed because of it. He also said, "The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you." I believe this because I have seen it through my mother.

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

I remember that my mother was always doing something for someone else. While I was a youth she was a Primary President and a Relief Society President, both callings gave her great responsibility and required much time and sacrifice on her behalf. Though I remember her feeling some frustration a time or two, I mostly remember her commitment to these callings and the people she served. She was always going the extra mile and making sure that her service in the Lord's church was what He would have her do. She has blessed the lives of so many through her loving, selfless, compassionate and cheerful service. She seemed to enjoy it all. Moving to new wards has made it so she has had those callings more than once, and she has always remained dedicated and stalwart. She has always been dependable - when my mom does something, it's not just done, it's well done. Surely the Lord can say to her "well done, thou good and faithful servant".

REFLECTIONS - My Mom

Since Mother's Day is next Sunday, I've decided to write a little something about my mother each day this week.

My mother is a wonderful woman. She worked hard in the house and the yard, with her family, and in her church callings. I'll share some of those things in my postings through the week. A lot of what I write will come from the years when I was a child at home, but they surely still apply, some 29 years later. I'll try to include some recent things too. I am so grateful for such a wonderful mother. She is an awesome person.
Her love and respect for my father has always been an example to me. I've never doubted their love for each other. It is a wonderful thing to grow up in a home where there is love and respect and where the children can count on the next day being the same, if not better. She has been the best example of wife, mother, and daughter that anyone could have. She truly understands the meaning of womanhood and motherhood.
She has always been loving and caring and tender with her children. She has taught us right from wrong and continues to encourage us to do and be good.