Being a mother.

Last month our church held it's semi-annual General Conference. One of the speakers was Elder Bradley D. Foster and I was really touched by his message ... largely about mothering. He said, "By divine design, nurturing seems to be part of the spiritual heritage given to women. I've seen it in my daughters, and now I see it in my granddaughters - even before they could walk, they wanted to carry and care for their little baby dolls."

He went on to talk about his profession as a farmer and a rancher retelling how each spring they take a herd of cows and their new calves up along the Idaho Snake River to graze for about a month or so. Then they round them up and bring them down a road that leads to a corral. From there they are loaded into trucks that carry them to their summer pastures in Montana.

One particular spring, Elder Foster's job was to ride at the back of the herd and to gather any calves that wandered from the road. Because it was so hot the little calves kept running off into the trees to find shade.

He said after several hours of trying to gather up strays, and with sweat running down his face, he yelled out at the calves in frustration, "Just follow your mothers! They know where they're going!" The mother cows knew that even though the road was hot and dusty now, the end would be better than the beginning.

When the gate to the corral was shut Elder Foster noticed that three cows were pacing nervously at the gate. They could not find their calves and seemed to sense that they were back on the road somewhere.

He and some other cowboys went back about 1/4 mile down the road and sure enough, there were the calves resting in the shade. But the men's approach startled them and the calves resisted their efforts to round them up. The more they tried to push them toward the corral, the more stubborn the calves became. Finally Elder Foster told the cowboys, "Let's ride back and let the mothers out of the corral. The cows will come and get their calves, and the calves will follow their mothers."

He was right. The mother cows knew exactly where to go and led their calves right back to the corral.

The point of his story was to illustrate not only the innate nurturing mothers feel for their children but that we have a responsibility to our children as well. We need to teach them and guide them, but as importantly, love them ... and when they lose their way, as they often do, continue to love them, unconditionally so they feel that they can always come home.

It was a message shared simply, but it was also very powerful for me. I know that my children are here as a gift from God and I value my roll as a mother. I feel blessed to be their mother and grateful that I adore each of them! Today was a good Mother's Day for me! (And my first as a grandmother ... so fun!)

(Libby just started scrunching up her nose ... I got a HUGE kick out of it!!!)