I Love My Momma - 11/7/2011

Dear Everyone,

Thank you for all you love and support. This week has been hard, but I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay.I feel quite at peace with the situation oddly enough. I am so thankful that we have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I know that mama is at peace now and that she can finally rest from all her troubles. I was reading in Enos today and the last verse was really good. It reminded me of mom and I know that she will be able to experience this. It says, "And I go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen." I know everything will be okay. I am going to miss her dearly. More than words can ever say or express. I wish she could be here, but Heavenly Father's plan is so much bigger than ours. Sometimes I still feel like mine would work out better, but He knows way more than I do. I was thinking about all the things I love about mom and I thought it would be good to list a few.
Things I love about my mother:
She was the happiest morning person you would ever meet. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her in the morning.
She was always there to encourage and brighten our day even when it seemed like it was the end of the world to children who are sometimes over dramatic and emotional. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her pushing me to stick with the things that seemed too hard at the time (piano, mission, college, cross country, everything really.)
She was always willing to do things with and spend time with her family whom she loved dearly. I know she loved us.
She is the epitome of someone who knows what it means to sacrifice one's own desires to help another. I really have never met such a selfless person as my mother.
She always made me breakfast...even after I graduated from high school. :)
She was a most excellent cook. I had no desire to eat elsewhere except for home because it was better than anywhere you could go.
She loved the Lord and understood the importance of daily scripture study and prayer. Even when us kids were a little less than enthusiastic about such events as family prayer and family scripture study, mom was always there and ready to go. I love her for that.
Mom was always willing to share her testimony with us. Most of the time she didn't even need to say anything. The way she lived was a living testimony of her faith and devotion to the Lord.
For all that she suffered through, she was very good at being happy. I am such a wuss compared to her. She is my hero.
I loved watching chick-flicks with her and going on walks and talking about life and all it's ups and downs.
I loved going grocery shopping with her every week. Most people don't really like grocery shopping, but I loooved going with my mama to the grocery store.
I loved playing board games with her. She was always so happy to sit down with us and just play whatever game we wanted. Even Candyland which gets old really, really fast. She played it with us though and kept a positive mental attitude and a smile in her eyes and on her lips.
She taught me the importance of disciplining myself and putting "things needed" before "things wanted."
She supported me in my decisions even if they were hard for her because she loved and loves her children dearly.
She was the most patient individual I've ever met and I'm pretty confident in saying that I think she's the most patient person I'll ever meet.
I love how she used to read books with me at night.
I love how she would rock me before going to sleep at night.
She was always there to make me feel better when I was sick and would do anything she could to make us as comfortable as she could while we were sick.
Really, the list could go on infinitely.
I wish I could have been able to tell her how much I really truly love her and look up to her and desire to be like her. I feel like she didn't really know how much I really love her. I hope she knows now though.

As for the update since transfers last week, I am now in Deep Run which is about as country as you can get with Sister Welch who is wonderful. I am thankful she is my companion right now. She is a very loving and compassionate individual and I am thankful for her. Matthew got baptized on Friday and confirmed on Sunday. I talked to Sister Matthews and she said that he got up and bore his testimony about how he knows without a doubt that it is true even though he tried really hard to deny it, but he said he couldn't. She said it was the best sacrament meeting she'd been to in a really long time. She said that no one is there to play the piano now so they sang acappella and she said it was beautiful. I talked to Sister Joseph as well and she wanted us to know that she is praying for us and to "keep running our 'life' marathon and that we can make it through." :) I love her.

President and Sister Cotterell are the best mission president/wife ever. I am thankful for them and their kindness, gentleness, and outpouring of love. We went to the temple together on Saturday and it helped bring some comfort. President assured me that everything will be okay and that everything that happens here happens for a reason greater than we can comprehend, but that we agreed to the circumstances before we came to earth and that we should turn to God. I am trying hard to keep this in mind.

I want to tell my father how much I love him. Words can't really describe that as well. I want to thank my perfect, wonderful dad for his diligence and all the love he showed to mom. The example you set for me is one that I hope I can someday achieve. I hope I can love someone regardless of their circumstances as much as you love mom. I know that you were made for each other and that you definitely fulfilled your promises to her in this life and I know that it will continue forever. That's the beauty of this great plan Heavenly Father put in place for us. I am forever grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ. I love him so much and I wish I could somehow thank him enough for fulfilling the Atonement so that we can all be able to be forgiven of our sins, receive strength and comfort in this life to overcome hard things, and that we can be able to live forever with him and Heavenly Father and with our families in the Celestial Kingdom if we do our best in this life and strive to keep all the commandments, etc.

I want to tell Lance and Ashlyn that I love them so much that I can't really describe that either, but that it is a lot. Bigger than the universe a lot. An infinite amount a lot.

I'm sorry that I couldn't be there right now to help comfort and be with you, but I know everything is the way it is for a reason. I love you all a lot. Don't forget it!

Much Love,
Sister J