Marathons, Mud & Muscles

When I was serving a mission in North Carolina, I saw a sign on a church's bulletin board that read "Life is hard, but God is good!" I have reflected on the truth in that message many times throughout my life. Needless to say, life has been very hard for our family this past several years...in every aspect. We have experienced many trials ranging from bruised knees to death of loved ones. Somehow, in the midst of these trials, we have chosen to count our many blessings to see how good God really is...and he really is ~ Good. He really, truly, unconditionally loves us...even in our weaknesses.

I reflect on one of the greatest blessings I have received in this life...and for eternity...my dear husband Matt. He is an amazing man and for the past (almost) 12 years, he has continued to suprise me with his "skills," talents and (unknown to me) abilities. He is strong in stature and enormous in spirit. I mean that with the utmost respect. He has worked so hard to provide for our family temporally and spiritually. He takes great pride in taking care of his stewardship. He is in his last semester of school (10 1/2 years) and we have recently compared it to running the last leg of a Marathon. It seems that the end is so close, but there are days when it seems like his legs are jello and there is not an ounce of energy left in his body. He has come so far and the only way to go is forward, because the way is closer to the finish line than the starting line. It also feels like we are trying to swim in Mud. As we think about these analogies, we realize the many Muscles that are strengthened in the trial process. We realize how strong we have become and will become when this part of the race in life is over. We will be prepared for the next challenge and we know there will be more challenges, for that is why we are here on earth.

I am grateful to have a companion who knows the values of work, persistence and endurance. I am grateful to be by his side as we go through this life's experiences. We are a team and we work together. When one of us struggles, the other is there to pull us up, and this exchange happens quite frequently. How blessed we are to have each other!

I love you Matt!

Eternally yours, Alice.

Mother's Day

Oh, to be a mother! There once was a time in my life when I wondered if this would ever be an option for me. I dreamed as a little girl, while playing with my baby dolls, about being a mother and having little babies to cuddle and take care of. Then when I was first married, I realized what a miracle it was to even get pregnant. It took over 3 years for us (with the help of fertility drugs) and by our 4th anniversary, we finally had a little baby boy. Oh, how our lives changed in so many ways.

Being a mother was so much more than I ever imagined as a little girl. I had no idea how much love I could feel, how much sadness, how many millions of emotions I could possibly go through as a mother. One thing I truly never imagined was how hard it would be to be a mother. To feel so responsible for everything your child eats, drinks, learns, says, does, wears, looks at, feels and experiences! To feel like a failure when things go wrong, and kids exercise their own agency as they develop their ability to make choices.

Almost 8 years and 4 kids later, those feelings have magnified in so many ways, but so has my confidence in the knowledge that I am not alone in motherhood. There is a Father in Heaven who knows these children better than I, and he has blessed me with them, for they are His. Because of this, He will help me understand them, get to know them, and love them for who they are. His children. How grateful I am for this help!

This day, I am honored to be a, their, Mother.

I ventured off to church with some of the kids and got to listen to Carter sing with the primary children. It took him many years to go up and sing on this day because he was so shy. I think the first year he went was when Chloe became a Sunbeam and drug him up with her, because she wanted to sing! :) It is such a special feeling to hear the children sing to their mothers, definately the spirit of Heavenly Father reassuring mothers of the great work we are doing. Chloe was sick so she stayed home with Matt and had a special suprise for us when we got home.

This was the sign on the front door as we entered.

Chloe was dressed up in her Mulan costume and was my hostess. She welcomed me to the K-mono Cuisine and seated me to the table. The rest of the family joined me at our fancy home-made restaurant. We ate delicious curry chicken and rice and had a great time talking about the day. The kids made my day special. Matt always helps them learn to appreciate what their mother does for them. I received a nice tomato plant from church and special letters from the kids. What a wonderful day, even with sick kids.

How grateful I am to be a mother! And how grateful I am for my own mother who showed me by her example how to be a mother. Love you Mom!