Moments that Matter

Last night I attended our Stake Youth Standards Night.  It was a wonderful evening filled with inspirational messages for the youth of our stake.  I took a lot from last night's messages, but one thing that was mentioned keeps replaying over and over again in my head.  Our Stake President mentioned that he recently attended a training meeting with Elder Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  While there, they discussed the declining ability of our youth to be able to communicate face-to-face.  Specifically mentioned were young men who are preparing for missions--if they've spent a great deal of their time communicating through Facebook, instant messaging and texting, they are having a harder time on their missions in the live conversations.  No real surprise there, right?  But what was mentioned next is what keeps gnawing at me...they then mentioned that our young children are also lacking in communication and other skills because their mothers are spending too much time communicating with others through modern technology rather than spending face-to-face time interacting with their children.  This didn't come as a surprise to me, either--it came more as a wake up call.  While I've made improvement on how I spend my time, I realize that there is still so much more room for improvement--specifically when it comes to interacting with McRae.  Now, I'm not proposing that every minute of every day needs to be spent constantly engaged with one another--that just isn't possible (or necessarily healthy for either one of us).  But, I can see how sometimes I don't engage with him simply because I "don't feel like it" or something else seems more appealing at the moment.  But, what I can say is that when I really am truly present and engaged with him, I've never ever--no, not even once-- walk away from one of those moments with a sense of regret or wishing that I had done something else.

Today was one of those rewarding days where I really tried to be present.  We went to the park and the store, we played cars and horses, we played in our back yard, sang songs, danced, exercised, had Family Home Evening and ate dinner together.  All the while, he was basking in my love and attention and kept repeating over and over, "Again.  Again."  He simply couldn't get enough.  It was like I could literally see his self-esteem and sense of security growing right before my very eyes.  I could see that he knew that I loved him and that it meant the world to him (and me, too).  And tonight, as we readied for bed, he conveyed his approval of the day's events by showering me with extra doses of love and affection--from pats on the arm, to hugs, to full on kisses.  It was a beautiful gift from my Heavenly Father--reaffirming to me that I am engaged in the greatest work possible.  No other outlet, hobby, career or success can compare to that of motherhood.  A quote that I recently came across and have read several times since is by Melvin J. Ballard.  He says: 

"All the honor and glory that can come to men and women is but a dim thing whose luster shall fade in comparison to the high honor, the eternal glory, the ever-enduring happiness that shall come to the woman who fulfills the first great duty and mission that devolves upon her to become the mother of the sons and daughters of God."   

  

I've already seen a glimpse of the happiness that is promised to those faithful mothers, and it is in those moments like today.  I know those moments won't happen everyday and so when they do, I need to be extra certain to capture them--write them down--so that when those hard days come, I can remember and reflect upon what brings me my greatest joy.  And specifically, that I'll never regret a moment spent truly engaging with my child(ren).