Mothers

I’m a day late, but I wanted to follow Brianna’s lead for a mother’s day post.

Mothers that have influenced me…

My mom—Mom was my best friend while I was growing up. After elementary school I never had a sibling attending the same school as me. The others did and were friends with the siblings closest to them in age, but I had no one. So my mom was my friend. Whenever dad worked nights she would let me stay up late on Friday night, watch a TV show with her and sleep with her. She said she preferred to sleep with me than any of the other kids because I didn’t wiggle all night.

Mom taught me how to handle bullies. When the kids teased and made fun of me, she taught me to be strong and to develop a thick skin. She told me over and over that if they knew how much it bothered me they would keep doing it, but if they didn’t know they would stop at some point. I took that lesson to the extreme later in life, but at the time it really worked.

Mom also taught me to do what is right for me. For several years I tagged along with a group of girls who were quite codependent. The ring leader would get upset every time I tried to make new friends, but as long as I was willing to follow her and be a groupie she was happy. Mom told me over and over that I was better than that kind of treatment. She was right and I remember that every time I am faced with codependent relationships. Even at my lowest points in life I remember what my mom taught me.

Grandma Housley (mom’s mom)—Grandma was a great example of serving. She and grandpa were always doing things to help others. They were gardeners and would give away what they couldn’t eat themselves. They served a mission in New Zealand in their later years, and they also served in the Logan temple as officiators for a few years. Grandma served as the quilting coordinator in their ward for years. Grandma passed away on the 18th of December and had already attended the temple and done her visiting teaching that month.

Grandma Bright (dad’s mom)—Grandma Bright embodied love. Whenever we crossed her threshold we knew that she loved us. We always felt that love and acceptance no matter what we did. Our favorite thing was to visit Grandma and eat her home canned raspberries and her fresh baked bread. Delicious! I loved hearing Grandma laugh. It was one of the most pleasing sounds I ever heard.

Christi, my sister in law—While my family was struggling with wayward teenagers, Christi was a great example to me of raising teenagers who chose the right. Even though they had one teen who made some bad choices, Christi has been an example to me of loving that child and accepting her anyway. I watch Christi to learn how to be a great mother, how to develop good relationships with my children, and how to keep those relationships as my children become adults.

Hannah from the Bible—I read Hannah’s story again after I had had some problems with fertility and was finally pregnant with James. I was impressed with how humble she was and how she was able to dedicate her son to the Lord after all that time waiting for a child. I decided to name my daughter after her.

The mothers of the Stripling Warriors—As I study the Stripling Warriors and see what fine people they were I am impressed that they had fantastic mothers. There are verses in the Book of Mormon that tell of the kinds of mothers they were and I strive to be like they were. Our children are truly facing great challenges in our time.