A Tower of Strength

My entries have become quite short of late, as time comes at a premium on Sundays, but I had to write a note today for Mother's Day.

I don't have the words to express just how blessed I am by my angel mother!  With my Dad, she has been my greatest supporter and encourager throughout my life and has provided me with a constant example of goodness, grace, and kindness.  In times when I have been less than I ought to have been, it has been the image of my Mother that impelled me to correct my ways and to strive for greater righteousness.  In the moments when I have been weighed down with grief, she has lifted me up.

Early in the morning of December 19, 2016, well before the sun came up, I arrived at my parents' home in Orem to learn that my Dad had unexpectedly passed away.  In those moments of complete shock and grief, my Mom stood resolute and faithful.  Setting aside her own grief and pain, she embraced each of us children, reassured us of the truthfulness of the gospel, and did all within her power to serve and lift us.  All my life I have known that my Mom is a woman of tremendous strength, but in those first days after Dad passed, I saw just how strong she really is.  Over the years Rheumatoid Arthritis has gnarled her hands and fingers, destroyed her knees and elbows, kept her awake at night, and inflicted more pain than I can possibly imagine.  But while her arthritic fingers may not extend as straight as they once did, and while her arthritic back may not allow her to stand as tall, my Mother is just like her father, whose mission president once described him as "a tower of strength."

Thank you Mom for the strength and power you have always demonstrated.  I hope that I have learned well these lessons, so that I might likewise stand strong and tall through all the storms and afflictions of life, passing on your legacy of faith to the next generation!

Brett