I want to dedicate my first post of the Year
to Mothers 
I think that many of us have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. It is an awesome responsibility to be a mother and sometimes we think that we just don't measure up. I pray that as this New Year begins we will come to understand that our Heavenly Father never expected any of us to be perfect. He just wants us to do our very best. We may do things differently than our neighbors, we may make mistakes, we may not be the mother we hoped we would be but the important thing is that we are trying. The important thing is that we love our families deeply and that we keep working on becoming the mother we want to be.
I think that many of us have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. It is an awesome responsibility to be a mother and sometimes we think that we just don't measure up. I pray that as this New Year begins we will come to understand that our Heavenly Father never expected any of us to be perfect. He just wants us to do our very best. We may do things differently than our neighbors, we may make mistakes, we may not be the mother we hoped we would be but the important thing is that we are trying. The important thing is that we love our families deeply and that we keep working on becoming the mother we want to be. I would like to share a statement from one of our Latter-day Saint Apostles, M. Russell Ballard
"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be 'full-time moms,' at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
I pray that we will make a renewed commitment to strengthen one other. We all have unique parenting opportunities. Each family faces it's own challenges. Our children are living in a very difficult time and will face unique challenges of their own. Now more than ever before we need to be there for each other. We need to reach out and support one another. There is a proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child. Well today more than ever we need to be united. We indeed need a village of strong women united in the cause of protecting our children from the evils of the world.
If you know someone who is struggling please reach out to them in love. Do not judge them. There was only one perfect person who walked this earth and that was our Savior. Be an example of his endless love for us by being a good friend and neighbor.
