the ideal

The other evening my babies to needed some soothing at bedtime. A song that I sang in Primary years ago came to mind:

I see my mother kneeling
With the family each day
I hear the words she whispers
As she bows her head to pray
Her plea to the Father
Quiets all my fears
And I am thankful
Love is spoken here.

The song is beautiful; the lyrics and the simple tune are so pure. Music invites peace and touches us in a way that is deeper than words alone. As I was singing, tears sprang to my eyes. Not only because of the peace that came knowing that I am doing the right thing at the right time, but also because I could see my shortcomings as a mother.

The song was teaching me an ideal. Not every child who sings this song has this ideal condition in their home. Most, I would venture to say, don’t have anything close. But as I sang it as a child I felt love for my mother. I remembered prayers that she quietly spoke when peace would ensue. I recognized the love she has for me. As I sang this song as a mother, I recognized the love I feel for my children and the hopes I have for them. But I also was reminded of my responsibility as their caregiver to speak lovingly, to plead for their well being, to bear my heart during prayers with the family so that they can witness my beliefs and my love.

The ideal is not to make us feel guilt ridden, but to inspire us to raise our standards. Not one of us is perfect. Maybe we have a problem with raising our voice and yelling when we lose our temper. *raising my hand* Perhaps some of us are unorganized and have a hard time scheduling in things like family scripture study or setting goals and following through. *raising my hand* Maybe there are some people who loose important papers and library books. *trying to hide my raised hand*

I love reading blogs that inspire me to be a happier mother. I love it when I see a photo that shows a perfect moment. I adore being moved to action when I see a beautiful marriage. I think it’s divine to hear a song that helps me see the ideal behavior of a woman. It helps me to see where I can improve and motivates me to get up when I fall.

I think The Ideal is an important aspect of inspiration. I feel that focusing on the positive and knowing that we can get there is an important piece of motivation. Because I believe we can. I believe that we can be who we want to be. I believe our potential is bigger and higher and greater than we can fathom. Individually and collectively.