Thoughts on Motherhood

When I first became a mother, I heard this song in Relief Society, and it touched my heart.

Keeping Sheep

I have a little flock of sheep

and they are mine to tend and keep.

And I must guard them every day

for little lambs, when left alone,

will lose their way.

So many voices say to me,

A sheep fold is no place to be.

Your time in there is dull and slow,

and lambs leave very little room

for you to grow.

Chorus

Oh, if I ever start to stray,

deceived by thoughts of greener pastures,

remind Lord that keeping sheep

will lead to happier ever-afters.

Will lead to happier ever-afters.

Oh, surely there will come a day

when all the lambs have left my side,

and I am free to roam about,

and go exploring other meadows,

green and wide.

Yet something whispers in my heart

that when my sheep have left this pen

I'll long to stroke their little heads,

to draw them close to me

and have them young again.

Repeat Chorus

So while they still are in my care

I pray that I will clearly see

these little lambs within my fold

are tender gifts the Master Shepherd

has given me.

--Lynne Perry Christofferson

Now it has become my mission to cherish the time with my young children.

I love what President Monson said during the last conference.

"If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

It's my hope that as we add more children to our family in the future, that we will enjoy every moment and remember what is most important.