Dear Friends,
I spent a couple of days recently packing up my old office as we prepared for a long-awaited move to a new
location. Having worked nearly twenty years in the same office, I had accumulated an impressive collection of
paperclips, business cards, mysterious keys, pens without caps, random quotes and positive affirmations I’d
snipped, clipped, and saved, along with a ridiculous amount of spare change. And that was in just one drawer.
As I began the task of sorting through it all, I could not have been more surprised at the treasures mixed in
between—small mementos of each one of my kids. A beautiful snapshot from my oldest daughter’s wedding
day, my youngest son captured in an emotional moment during Pioneer Trek, a sobering image of my
oldest son in his military dress blues, and finally, a small wrinkled yellow sticky note—clearly written in an
elementary-aged hand—with the words “Hi Mom” and a haphazard heart signed: Madeline.
I could not resist taking just a moment to spread each precious one across my desk, reminiscence on the
moments and the memories, and ponder the blessings each of them have been in my life. The two oldest
came to me through marriage, the two youngest came through birth, and all four of them were given to me by God. I was overcome with
emotion, and tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I realized anew that, as a so-called “empty nester,”I had been missing the days and the years I used
to have in my now-grown children’s lives.
I have missed bedtime stories and refrigerator drawings, pigtails and French braids, skinned knees, and kissing them better. I have missed buckling
shoes and wiping noses, sewing badges on Scout uniforms, and nights spent reading aloud Summer of the Monkeys. I have missed soccer games and
hockey practice, days at the zoo and camping trips, raking leaves and playing Fugitive. As warm memories occupied my thoughts, an unexpected feeling
of gratitude filled my heart as I realized just how profound an impact motherhood has had on me—the rigor and the reward.
I have thought of that day often knowing that during the past thirty-plus years of mothering—from the daily demands of young children, to the
quiet nights of contemplation—I have experienced a sacred partnership with the Lord. I am reminded of the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “You
can’t possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you—He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep,
sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will
be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may
sometimes feel that to be.“
How grateful I am for the precious, God-given gift of motherhood. Through it I have experienced my greatest triumphs and my greatest heartbreaks.
May I not let a day go by that I do not thank Him for such a rich blessing. I hope that on this Mother’s Day all of us will take time to reflect on the great
women in our lives—to honor them for their profound influence and loving sacrifice.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Sincerely,
Susan Condie
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