HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Let me just start off by saying that over the past couple of days, I was trying to come up with a post for Mother's Day. But coming up with something that I feel is worthy of Mother's Day is not an easy task for me. Two of the greatest things in my life are my mom and being a mom. Words couldn't possibly tell how grateful I am for my mom, how amazed I am by her, how much she means to me, and how much I love her. Nor can I adequately express how incredibly blessed I feel to be a mother, how much more I have appreciated my mom since becoming a mother, and how much happiness my children have brought me. That being said...

Just like he does every Sunday morning, Max had the kitchen t.v. turned on to Music & The Spoken Word this morning. When I went out to grab something from the kitchen, I heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing a song that I know and love, A Mother's Eyes Reflect The Love Of Heaven. I stopped and listened. This is a song that we grew up singing at family reunions on my mom's side. We would sing it to our grandma every year. When she passed away 4 1/2 years ago, the grandchildren sang it at her funeral. I was so touched that while we stood up there singing, I bawled my eyes out...couldn't stop sobbing for the life of me. So this morning, when I heard this song for the first time in years, I stood there in the kitchen, thinking of all the times that I had sung those words. How much meaning they hold for me, both as a child and as a mother. Each time I think of the words, it makes me want to me a better mother, to raise my children to the best of my ability, and to set the kind of example that they need. No tears fell this morning as I stood in the kitchen, but I immediately knew that I would be basing my post around this song. Here are the words (not shown is that men and women sing different lines and sections separately and then some together):

A MOTHER'S EYES REFLECT THE LOVE OF HEAVEN

by Steven Jones

A mother’s eyes reflect the love of heaven.
A love borne long before this life began.
A love which grows each day, which will not fade away,
A love inspired by Heavenly Father’s plan.

A mother’s hands reflect a life of service,
A life of sacrifice for those she loves,
And with her giving hands she shapes the soul of man,
Prepares him for eternal life above.

A mother’s words teach children righteous living,
And her example leads them to the light,
She speaks the words of truth that guide their tender youth,
And points the course they take throughout their lives.

A mother’s life reflects itself in our life,
Her ways of living are engrained in ours,
And through the changing years and days of joy and tears,
Her love will lead us on,
Her words will point the course,
Her hands will lift us up to God.

To all you mothers, grandmothers, and girls and women who will one day be mothers:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

P.S. I couldn't find a full recording of the song online, but you can listen to a little clip of it here. MOTAB's arrangement and performance was far better...if you ever happen to find a recording of them or have the opportunity to hear them sing it, it's a must-hear.