Day #14 I am a Mother

I count being a mother as one of my greatest blessings. When I was a teenager a large tumor was discovered growing in one of my ovaries (sorry if this is TMI :) ). At that time doctors were saying that before surgery there was no way to know if it was cancerous, but that they believed it was, because it grew so quickly. They also said that it was possible that it had spread. So, at age 15 I watched my mother sign a paper that gave the surgeon permission to remove anything he saw fit during my operation. This meant I could come out of the operation with a hysterectomy. I could not bear the idea that I might not be able to bare children. In fact this is what bothered me most about going into surgery. Many people fasted and prayed for me going into the day of my surgery. And as a great blessing I only lost one ovary. Everything else remained in tact and the tumor was not cancerous. I have always considered this a miracle in my life! And now here I am a mother of four.

Here are some of the things I enjoy about being a mother (so far):

Reading with my children.
Going to the library and bringing home stacks of books.
Singing together (anything).
Baking cookies.
Sharing a chore around the house.
Hugs and kisses.
The "I love you's" they say spontaneously.
When the children sing with the primary on Mother's Day! (One of my favorites)
Nature walks or hunts when the weather is good.
Walks.
Swimming together.
Joseph climbing in my bed at 1am.
Rocking Lily in the rocking chair before bedtime or naps.
When my children ask me questions about the gospel.
Walking them to school (when we lived in Hawaii)
Playing together on the beach or by any body of water.
Watching them grow and change.
Comforting them and advocating for them in the hospital.
Having their friends over!
Making things together (arts and crafts).
Loose teeth.
Trips to the zoo.
Feeding the ducks.
It goes on and on. . . .

I am sure that there could be an even longer list of things that bug me about being a mother including stretch marks, wider hips, grey hair, vomit etc., but the point is that it is all worth suffering through. Some days I think, "my house would be so clean if it weren't for my kids." But then I make myself really think what my life or my home would be like without children. Do I really want a life without them in it?? NEVER! They are the light and life and spice and meaning to my days. Despite the mess and the noise and the work, I LOVE being a mother and I love that I can be at home with them.

In the Bible many scriptures talk about the importance of feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and clothing the naked. I am blessed to do this for my children. :) It is truly a gift.