Making Mother’s Day Matter

Every Mother’s Day while I was growing up, I noticed my mother begin to weep the moment we entered the ward building. I always took comfort in her tears, believing they were shed out of love and gratitude for her rewarding position as my mother.

It was not until I became a mother of four children that I finally understood the cause of her tears. Mother’s Day was approaching, and I shared with her my unexpected feelings of depression and self-doubt. My mother then told me her own feelings of being overwhelmed at times by the magnitude of her responsibility as a mother. I decided then that I would find a way to overcome the negative feelings I was experiencing.

Later, as I knelt in prayer and asked for help, a new idea came to me that helped me avoid Mother’s Day tears.

First, I designed a homemade card for each one of the children. Next, I listed inside the cards each child’s unique qualities and strengths and also added an expression of my love. Then I informed my children that each card could be redeemed for a special day with Mother—a “Mother’s Day”—at some time in the future.

As I prepared these cards and listed the gifts of character for each child, my appreciation of my children grew and I could see clearly each one’s divine worth. My Mother’s Day cards and the resulting outings I had with the children have become some of the best Mother’s Day gifts I ever received.—Stacey C. Weeks, Carson City, Nevada