Happy 2014!!!! Heavenly Parents Parenting Qualities

Reflection time. Time to realign and set our sights forward to new ambitions.

I am so grateful to be the mom to this amazing Smile Adventure team!  I have had a quote from recent conference open in my room. It speaks of my responsibility to my children.  I want to live up to this...
From Elder Christofferson:

A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children. Where this ideal does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances.

In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother’s love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”³

Most sacred is a woman’s role in the creation of life. We know that our physical bodies have a divine origin⁴ and that we must experience both a physical birth and a spiritual rebirth to reach the highest realms in God’s celestial kingdom.⁵ Thus, women play an integral part (sometimes at the risk of their own lives) in God’s work and glory “to bring to pass theimmortality and eternal life of man.”⁶ As grandmothers, mothers, and role models, women have been the guardians of the wellspring of life, teaching each generation the importance of sexual purity—of chastity before marriage and fidelity within marriage. In this way, they have been a civilizing influence in society; they have brought out the best in men; they have perpetuated wholesome environments in which to raise secure and healthy children.

Sisters, I don’t want to overpraise you as we sometimes do in Mother’s Day talks that make you cringe. You don’t have to be perfect;⁷ I don’t claim that you are (with one possible exception who is sitting nearby at the moment). What I mean to say is that whether you are single or married, whether you have borne children or not, whether you are old, young, or in between, your moral authority is vital, and perhaps we have begun to take it and you for granted. Certainly there are trends and forces at work that would weaken and even eliminate your influence, to the great detriment of individuals, families, and society at large. Let me mention three as a caution and a warning.

A pernicious philosophy that undermines women’s moral influence is the devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career. Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation.⁸ They ridicule what they call “the mommy track” as a career. This is not fair or right. We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage. There is no superior career, and no amount of money, authority, or public acclaim can exceed the ultimate rewards of family. Whatever else a woman may accomplish, her moral influence is no more optimally employed than here.

I have certainly felt these powers of undermining the role of mother in my life lately.  I am grateful for heavenly reminders that tell me to know that heaven is near and watching over me!  Thank you! 

New Years Eve was a great party!  We helped host the St. George New Years at the Washington Rec Center. I heard today that they know there were more than 5,300 people attending.  Wow!  We are so grateful to be part of such a great community!  It was fun to have my team there. Here is a glimpse. 

New Years day we enjoyed jeeping with the Dixie 4x4 group!  There were lots of jeeps this year!  They had to divide the group into threes because there were so many!  It was really fun to be part of such an awesome group and to share cookies and cheer each other on!  I hope that as a family we are always there to cheer and support each other!  That's what family is!

 I have been considering the characteristics of our Heavenly Parents.  Curious - how can I parent like they do?  Here is a start of a list:

• They love unconditionally. No matter what we do, they still love us. They may not like what we do, but that doesn't detract from their love for us and their desire for us to succeed.
• They are about family - they aren't distracted with other priorities. They do us.. we are their work and their glory. They are interested in helping us!
• They hope to hear from us. We are told to pray morning and night. We are told to attend church and partake of the sacrament. These are all like PPI's with our Father in Heaven. Time we can talk to and be heard by Him.
• They know that communication is important and they hear and answer our prayers!  Yes, we know that the answer is not always yes, but they always hear us!  AND They always answer - it is up to us to listen. Yet, they respect that we may not take their advice. The consequences are already set, they don't change them.
• They forgive. They are perfect and don't need forgiveness, but they understand that this is an important part of our learning and they forgive us and promise to honor their promise to not hold those things we have repented of against us.
• I note that they have taught us repentance which is that we learn what it was that was wrong, we make restitution with God our Father and the person we wronged, and we promise to not do it again. Then forgiveness kicks in and we move forward. Repentance clears the past mistakes and helps us to improve and become better instead of trying to go forward on piles of rubble that are unstable and unsure!  We are taught that each of these steps is an important part of repentance and that complete repentance is not complete until all these steps have been taken.
• They keep their promises!  A promise made is kept. Their word is their word. When they say this is what or how... you can count on it. It won't change tomorrow. We can trust them.
• They are loyal and will stand beside us.... always! They won't abandon us.
• They believe in us! They taught us in heaven all they could about this life. They saw the challenges we would face, and knew that our agency was still so important. They trusted us to come to earth to learn and grow. They know we will make mistakes, but they don't criticize and get mad. They love and forgive, patiently hoping that we will see the right and make those choices.

I hope that I can model these characteristics as I learn to be a parent. Isn't that what life is about... learning and progressing!  I have great hopes for 2014 and all the good it promises!