THE LINGERING FRAGRANCE OF A MOTHER’S LOVE

THE LINGERING FRAGRANCE OF A MOTHER’S LOVE

Sunday, May 8, 2016

There are probably a lot of blessings which come to us in our lives which we are very latent in recognizing. One of the greatest blessings, which also may be one which becomes apparent to many of us far too late during many of our lives, is that of recognizing the marvelous contributions our mothers have made in our lives. Sadly, many times it is only after they have left mortality we are struck with the magnitude of the influence our mothers were upon the development of what we are.

In 1983 the Church News published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints included the following thoughts from the latter day prophets about mothers. I think it may aid us all to read and ponder their words and, hopefully, our thoughts will be moved to think about what our own mothers have contributed to our lives.

Joseph Smith:

Oh, my mother, how often have your prayers been the means of assisting us when the shadows of death encompassed us.

Brigham Young:

If you were to become the greatest writer, the most eloquent woman speaker, the most gifted and learned woman of you time, and had neglected your home and children in order to become so; if, when you arise on the morning of Resurrection Day, you found that your duty as a wife and mother had been sacrificed in order that you might pursue any other duty, you will find your whole life had been a failure.

Wilford Woodruff:

Our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters occupy a very important position in this generation, far more so than they realize or understand. You are raising up you sons and daughters as plants of renown in the house of Israel in these latter days. Upon the shoulders of you mothers rests, in great measure, the responsibility of correctly developing the mental and moral powers of the rising generation, whether in infancy, childhood or still riper years.

Lorenzo Snow:

A mother, who has brought up a family of faithful children, ought to be saved, if she never does another thing.

Joseph F. Smith:

Motherhood lies at the foundation of happiness in the home, and of prosperity in the nation. God has laid upon men and women very sacred obligations with respect to motherhood, and they are obligations that cannot be disregarded without invoking divine displeasure.

Heber J. Grant:

My mother set an example of integrity, of devotion and love, and of determination and honor second to none. Her life was a sermon that rings through my soul to this day. One of the main reasons I am President of the Church is that I have followed the advice and counsel and the burning testimony of the divinity of God, which came to me from my mother.

George Albert Smith:

If I have done anything that I should not have done in my life, it would be something that I could not have learned in my mother’s home. There was sweetness and kindness and love there always.

David O. McKay:

Among my most precious soul treasures is the memory of Mother’s prayers by the bedside, of her affectionate touch as she tucked the bed clothes round my brother and me and gave each of a loving good night kiss. We were too young and roguish, then, fully to appreciate such devotion, but not too young to know that Mother loved us.

Joseph Fielding Smith:

I was trained at my mother’s knee to love the Prophet Joseph Smith and to love my Redeemer… I am grateful for the training that I received and I tried to follow the counsel that was given to me by my father. But I must not give him all the credit. I think a good part of it should go to my mother… She used to teach me and put in my hands, when I was old enough to read, things that I could understand. She taught me to pray, to be true and faithful to my covenants and obligations, to attend my duties as a deacon
and as a teacher and later as a priest.

Harold B. Lee:

To my mother who gave me birth And as God’s agent to
superintend
My entrance to this earth, I give thanks.

For your work to train my feet To walk life’s difficult path of right And honor the name ‘Brigham Lee’ Accept my praise.

Spencer W. Kimball:

My mother was faultless. She was a saint… the epitome of perfection. Who could even mention one virtue that she had not possessed? She seemed holy when the light would shine through her red hair and make a halo.

Sometimes when I read the words of the early prophets of the latter days, I am filled with jealousy that they were able to speak without the encumbrance of political correctness. I wonder if in our day when we tremble at the idea of offending another whether we have by so doing censored many needed instructions which we might have received.

I am grateful that my own mother was never encumbered with the muzzel of political correctness and was willing to offer correction and enlightenment without being burdened by whether my psyche might be permanently damaged.

I will now add a few words about mothers from the Prophets who been Presidents of the Church since 1983.

Ezra Taft Benson:

One apparent impact of the women’s movement has been the feelings of discontent it has created among young women who have chosen the role of wife and mother. They are often made to feel that there are more exciting and self-fulfilling roles for women than housework, diaper changing, and children calling for mother. This view loses sight of the eternal perspective that God elected women to the noble role of mother and that exaltation is eternal fatherhood and eternal motherhood.

Howard W. Hunter:

Surely the happiest marriages are those where your hurt is my hurt, my pain is your pain, my victory, your victory, my concerns, your concerns. The oneness of heart, of soul, of flesh seems to be more of a challenge than ever before in the world in which the question seems to be: “What is there in this for me?” Far too many marriage partners have become merely an ornament on the sleeve rather than a part of the heart.

Gordon B. Hinckley:

Put on thy beautiful garments, O daughters of Zion. Live up to the great and magnificent inheritance which the Lord God, your Father in Heaven, has provided you. Rise above the dust of the world. Know that you are daughters of God, children of divine birthright. Walk in the sun with your heads high. Know that you are loved and honored, that you are part of His kingdom, and that there is for you a great work to be done which cannot be left to others.

Thomas S. Monson:

As a boy, I made a startling discovery in Sunday School one Mother’s Day which has remained with me all through the years. Melvin, a sightless brother in the ward, a talented vocalist, would stand and face the congregation as though he were seeing one and all. He would then sing “That Wonderful Mother of Mine.” The bright, glowing embers of memory penetrated human hearts. Men reached for their handkerchiefs; women’s eyes brimmed with tears.

We deacons would go among the congregation carrying a small geranium in a clay pot for presentation to each mother. Some of the mothers were young, some were middle-aged, some were barely hanging on to life in their old age. I became aware that the eyes of each mother were kind eyes. The words of each mother were “Thank you.” I felt the spirit of the statement “When someone gives another person a flower, the fragrance of the flower lingers on the hands of the giver.” I have not forgotten the lesson learned, nor shall I ever forget it.

There is no doubt that the fragrance of my mother’s love lingers over me and will forever influence the direction of my destiny.

There is no doubt that the fragrance of Kathleen’s love lingers over our children and will forever influence the direction of their destinies.

There is no doubt that the fragrance of every mother’s love lingers over their children and will forever influence the direction of their destinies.