Mary, the mother of the Son of God... November 19, 2007

I had a really sweet day today.  My mom is really sick and I had the opportunity of taking care of her today.  It was such a privilege to be needed by my own mother and to be the one who could take care of her - her, the one who has taken care of me for my whole life.  It's almost Christmas time and, as I was driving home from her house today, I was listening to the new Josh Groban Christmas album.  A song came on about Mary being Jesus' mother and I started to think about motherhood, about Mary and Jesus and all they shared together.  Their story is one of my very favorite scripture stories, and as I listened to this song, I thought some more about why it's my favorite.  The song talks about Jesus laying his infant head on Mary's lap.  They must've had lots of tender, ordinary but also extraordinary mother-son moments like that.  It's a sweet experience for me to raise my own son, to have my own ordinary but extraordinary moments.  Precious times when Noah sits on my lap facing me and I cradle his little face in my two hands, look into his brown eyes, kiss his sweet forehead and then whisper, "I love you".  Talmage points out in Jesus the Christ that the scriptures stay reverently and respectfully quiet about Jesus' growing up years except to say that he "grew, and waxed strong in the spirit".  During the special times that I share with my son that are tenderly sweet but universally known to mothers throughout the world, I like to think that I'm being given a small glimpse into what it must've been like to be Christ's earthly mother.  It's a lesson that is so reverent that it couldn't be taught in the scriptures but only taught through experience and is given as one of the blessings of motherhood.  Jesus taught that we should strive to be like Him, that we should have His image reflected in our countenances.  I hope that as a mother, I can also emulate His earthly mother.  Thinking about our similar experiences in raising young sons brings new depths of understanding to me, gives me more patience, and greater love.  When I think that I want to be like His mother and that as I serve my Noah, I am also serving my Savior, it makes me want to do better.  It's an amazing thing to look into the eyes of my little one and think that whatever I do for him, I am doing unto Him.  (Matthew 25:40 "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.")  I'm learning so much already by being a mother.  I'm so grateful for this truly divine gift.