May Highlights

Just imagine.

Imagine a time you were strolling with a child. Imagine you were not alone on that stroll. I am blessed beyond measure to still have my earthly Mother here with me. But I have recently been imagining my Heavenly Mother walking beside me. I have imagined what she might tell me. Or maybe she might just let me talk, and as she listened her arm would wrap around me as we walked. I would feel the comfort of that motherly gesture, the strength of her eternal love for me and my children. Whether our Mothers are earth-side or heaven-side, I pray that this Mother’s Day will be one where we can feel peace and connection not only to those Mothers here on earth, but to all those who have mothered us that now are our angels. Happy Mother’s Day to all who need a mother. I know I will always need my mother and my mother in law. I have the two best mothers on earth that any woman could wish for. And I know that I have a Heavenly Mother that loves me. And I can feel her strength as I try my best to mother Her children that I have been given here on earth. And to all those women whose arms are so incredibly empty this Mother’s Day, I have been there. I pray that your hearts can be comforted, and that enough of your heart can heal so that you can again feel hope burning brightly. We are never alone on this path of life. Angels are among us.

Today there is a reason to hope.

These three daughters of Onitah were sacrificed by their people to idols because they were virgins and they wouldn’t worship the idols. They remained faithful to the truths taught by Noah. They were willing to stand up for their beliefs even at the point of death. I think these three daughters are incredible examples of staying true in the face of unbelievable challenges. I hope that I can always think of these daughters when I face things that are hard. Obviously I have no idea what they looked like, but as I was working on them this morning, I hope that I was able to capture their determination to be strong right before they were sacrificed. I imagine they stood together and gave each other comfort. That’s what sisters do. Not just biological sisters, but sisters in the gospel. We stand by each other, support each other, and provide comfort when we can. I am so grateful for those sisters who always lift me up.

Today there is a reason to hope.

I love this verse in 3 Nephi when the Savior is speaking. He says this right after he speaks of those who don’t want to be near him, don’t want to repent right now. Then he counsels those of us who are near to “continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I SHALL HEAL THEM; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them. “We are all at different stages of coming to Christ. I love His invitation to continue to minister. Because we really don’t know at what point that sheep will start running and maybe even pass us up in coming to Christ. And that is when He will heal them. And maybe the “them” is also “us”. Sometimes hard things are just what we need to go through in order to be 100% sure that going to Christ is where we want to be. And those experiences often give us perspective and empathy in a way we couldn’t learn in any other way. We are all known. We are all numbered. We are all needed.

Today there is a reason to hope.

His love is all around us.

Oh how I love the imagery of those words.

It’s just a matter of pausing to see it.

He is waiting for us to come fill our heartache, to fill our souls. And He will make us whole.

Today there is a reason to hope.