AFFIRMATION WEDNESDAY

JEREMIAH 29:11

ROUGH DRAFT; TALK ON MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
A few weeks back, the 1st Counselor of the RS asked me to switch my teaching assignment from June to May. I said sure, I would love to. She was very grateful and said, we want you to teach on Mothers and Daughters. (She referenced a talk from the recent Gen Conference). Sure I said, no pressure at all. Then reality set in and I realized that I didn't have  clue as to the nature of motherhood. I don't have any kids, I have a husband, a dog, 3 nephews and a niece. With the exception of my husband, I really haven't had a chance to experiment with the "mother heart" thing.I hug a lot of babies and give a few kisses. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was a daughter to a mother with whom I have a tenuous relationship with at best. So I pondered over this and because I did not want to be chased out of RS for not knowing what I was talking about, I prayed. So I said in my heart: "Lord, Who is a mother?" and the Lord said, "You Are". I said "How can that be, I have no children, I'm not as young as I used to be;my house is a mess and sometimes Lord, I am not as nice as I want to be." So the Lord said to me as He has said to countless generations of women confronting this very issue: "Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Is there anything impossible?" I said  " No Lord, there absolutely is not. Now unto Him who is able to give us all that we may ask or think, according to His riches in glory.
So I started a search on Motherhood. I really wanted to get to the bottom of this. Since I have joined the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, quite a few people have mentioned to me that I would have children. To which I replied, "Yeah, right". Not that I did not want children, but all my circumstances, physical, financial and emotional pointed to not in this lifetime..
So I asked some friends to write down in 25 words or less what it means to be a mother. One of the ladies asked me what I wanted them to say, I said tell me about your journeys in motherhood. As I was writing that email, this is what the Lord showed to me and prompted me to write to her: "The thought I have is that in our pre-mortal life all women were prepared for motherhood. Even if some women don't have children by reasons of choice or physiology  or whatever. All women were taught and prepared for motherhood. The promise, the inheritance, the blessing of motherhood is for all women, in this life and the next." Wow, where did that come from, I am sure that I did not know this, or maybe I heard it. But I couldn't wrap my mind around it. So I went with this and asked "Who is a mother Lord?" How can that be?
So I searched in Meridian Magazine http://www.meridianmagazine.com/articles/060512concept.html

and I found this article, "Honoring the Concept of Motherhood" by Dawn Frandsen" Whoa, just like that , my first search. These are the words which stood out to me:

"Most of the women I know have a love/hate relationship with the concept of Mother’s Day. The day seems to remind many of us that we are old mothers, bad mothers, or not mothers."

Pre-mortal Design

"As Latter-Day Saints we know that all women are mothers. This knowledge makes it possible to put to rest the argument that honoring mothers may offend those women who through no choice of their own do not have children. Honoring motherhood is equivalent to honoring womanhood. Failure to honor motherhood puts into dishonor everything else women do. If the God-ordained roll is viewed as second rate, nothing else women accomplish will be of significance or merit."

          Dawn Frandsen

 Wow, how did she know? So this article is the jumping off point of my teaching. I found a talk by Sheri Dew called: "Are We Not All Mothers?" she said

" Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our Divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us"

 President Joseph F Smith:"Our (family) associations are not exclusively intended for this life, for this time, as we distinguish it from eternity. We live for time and for eternity. We form associations and relations for time and all eternity...Who are there besides the Latter Day Saints who contemplate the thought that beyond the grave we will continue in the family organization? The father,the mother, the children recognizing each other...? This family organization being a unit in the great perfect organization of Gods work, and all destined to continue throughout time and eternity (Teachings: Joseph F. Smith,385,386)    

OK, so this is a great start, I will post the final draft on Friday. I am really excited about this, because knowing this, I can have hope. I believe this and I am happy. I will have children. I read and re-read these verses and there are a lot of promises. No more sorrow, no more death, I am guaranteed to have a baby that will live and prosper. My children will grow up in a sinless world and without sin. What more could you ask for, but wait there is more, but I will post in the final on Friday.   
D&C 101
29 And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.
30 In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree;
31 And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious
D&C 45
58 And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.