I believe I came to earth with a love for the written word lodged inside my heart, waiting to be unlocked like a treasure in a box.  My mom was key in unlocking that box. 

She did what many mothers do.  She read us stories–lots of them.  Even when we could read to ourselves.  In fact, my fondest memories may be from her reading us James Herriot books in my adolescent years. 

My mom took full advantage of the public library.  I remember trekking to and from the library with teetering piles of books in my arms, like Gus Gus the mouse in Cinderella, balancing his tower of cheese with his teeth.

Although funds were tight, my mom found ways to build our home library, too.  What a treat it was on the occasions when I got to select a book from the book order or the book fair at school!

My bookshelves now are a testament that her actions definitely fostered a love of reading in me, which affinity similarly cultivated a love of writing.  But what has affected me most profoundly is the way that my mom has devoted so much of her own life to “[feasting] upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3).

My mom did not just teach me to read scripture, she taught me to treasure the words of God.  In addition to teaching me scripture study skills, she also modeled studying, pondering, and praying over the scriptures herself.  She prioritized gospel classes, continually sought further light and knowledge, and shared stories of how the things she learned impacted her.   My mom demonstrated how to plant the words of God deep in my heart, and to “liken all scriptures unto [myself], that it might be for [my] profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).

In short, all of my life, my mom has been magnifying her priesthood duty as the “principal gospel [educator] in the family” by “[nurturing us with] gospel truth and knowledge” (Henry B. Eyring).

She continues to teach me, in word and deed, how to seek for and channel the power of God in my life, which power sustains me daily through the challenges of living and parenting.  Such precepts have never been more relevant and pertinent to me in my role as a mother and nurturer than in this year of extremely home-centered learning.

#GiveThanks