Happy Early Mothers Day!
So with Mother's Day being around the corner; I suppose it's my turn to throw in my Mother's Day Blog Post and talk about a couple of awesome women in my life. The first one I would like to talk about is my Grandmother and what I learned from her.
My Grandmother has always been, as far as I remember, one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known. Many a childhood memory is filled with her home; since my mother was hard at work being a single parent of four children, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother growing up and it has influenced me in many ways. I often comment, when talking with people about my musical taste, that my Grandmother is the reason that I enjoy Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Jerry Lee Lewis, and those types of musicians.
I believe the biggest influence that she has had on me was as she tried to instill a Christian belief in me as I was growing up. The first one that comes to mind is shortly after our cousins had left and Grandmother and I were talking in the car on a ride to a store or something. She and I were talking, of course, and she ended up saying: "You either believe in all of the Bible, or you believe in none of the Bible." At the time, I chose to believe in none of the Bible. It just didn't make sense, but my Grandmother will always in my eyes be the stalwart witness of the truth of the Bible. Her words ring in my head when I think about believing this scripture but not that scripture.
The second one that comes to mind is on a trip to the Family History Center in Mesa Arizona, which as anyone from Mesa knows, is right next to the Mesa Arizona Temple. You know, this one Temple:
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| What is this? A Temple for ants?! It needs to be at least three times bigger!! |
So we go into the Family History Center and I'm helping her (Being bored out of mind because I was a child) look at microfilm and the such before we went through the Visitor's Center at the Temple (Keep in mind, I was not a member at this point and nor is my Grandmother) and in the Temple's Visitor's Center is a wonderful statue of Jesus the Christ. You know, this one statue:
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| What is this? A statue for ants?! |
And as we were walking past the statue, my Grandmother said: "That's your Savior." and that comment has been within the far back of my memory and was hidden away until one day when I was investigating the Church, and at this point I had decided to join the Church, so the Ferrins and I, along with my Missionaries, were going through the Visitor's Center and I looked at the Statue and the background behind it and tried to remember why it was so familiar and then my Grandmother's words came ringing in my mind and that just touched my very core!
My grandmother has always stood out as someone of Steadfast Faith in the Lord. I don't think my grandmother has ever once doubted that there is a God and that Jesus Christ took our sins upon His shoulders and allowed us to repent of our sins and be able to make it back to Heavenly Father!!
Now for my Madre!
What my Mother taught me that will probably stand out in my mind is Patience! Now this won't really involve any memories that fantastically stand out as life long lessons but rather just the overall experience! My Mother had to deal with four rambunctious children by herself and that was not hard! Just think of it like this, her children have become: Two United States Marines, one of them becoming a Lawyer, her daughter (Which is just crazy enough) and then me, the Mormon! Yeah, thank your lucky stars that you weren't in her shoes! I can look back on my younger years, even just a year ago and I can honestly say I was an ungrateful punk! She only had my best interests in mind, and as most Sons, (I hope) Did, did not think she knew what she was talking about and only thought that she was trying to take away my choice and fun. I broke her trust on numerous occasions, and I did not show her the respect that she deserved; but through all of it I learned something. My mother had patience and love; she taught me that in the worst of situations, that you should just forget and move on. She taught me that no matter what I did, I would always be her son and her baby and that she would love me. I think the biggest lesson of this that comes to mind (I lied earlier) is when she dropped me off at the MTC. I can only think of three or four times when I've personally seen my Mother cry; the first couple of times was when we were taking care of our sick animals and had to put a horse down that we had about twenty years. The other time being when she dropped me off at the MTC! It was so touching to me that she started crying as she hugged me for the last times for two years. My mother never deserved the way I treated her, but thanks to her unconditional love, I have always been her son, and hopefully always will be! I love you Madre!
With this time of year, I would encourage all of you to look at what your Mother has taught. Examine what she has done for you, and then thank Heavenly Father for the blessings that she, along with others, has brought into your life. As Helaman said of the stripling warriors: "And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt, our Mothers knew it" (Alma 56:48) Look at what your mother taught you, I bet you they knew it before you did!! I leave you with these inspiring words in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
