What my mother taught me

It's easy to be critical of our parents. It seems as we come into adulthood we see things through our new "adult" eyes and have a tendency to think about things our parents did wrong. Lately though, I seem to be thinking more about what my mother did right. And I am thankful...so very, very thankful for the example she set for me.

1. She taught me about Jesus. She introduced me to the Savior. My biggest need met right there. If it wasn't for that, who knows what I would believe and be doing now.

2. She taught me (by example) to stay home with my children. This is a decision I will never regret and I am eternally thankful that she modeled this for me!

3. She taught me that divorce is not an option. Marriage isn't easy as we all know. I remember a specific conversation that we had about how people say, "this is just too hard" and quit. For her it was never an option and I'm so very grateful she instilled that in me, also!

And she taught me to work hard (she is the hardest worker I know), she taught me to never, ever lie...not even little white lies, she taught me to hate abortion and to love life, she taught me how to be careful with my money and not waste it, she showed me how not to quit, she taught me to be generous in my giving and to have compassion for the poor, she taught me the supremacy of the scriptures and the importance of daily devotions, she modeled and taught me the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise (i am so thankful for the healthy foundations she gave me!!!), she taught me to not let children watch too much TV or waste their time playing video games, she taught me to read to my children, she taught to me go to church EVERY sunday and well...i know there's so much more that I'm not thinking of right now, but I love you, Mom!! Thank you.