Thoughts on Motherhood and Service

A friend of my has a "thought of the week" on her blog. I am not talented enough at this blog thing to figure out how to put that on the side bar of my main blog, so I am just going to post one of my favorite quotes about motherhood and service. The quote is by Neal A. Maxwell, who passed away almost 2 years ago and was an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For those of you who don't know, we as Latter Day Saints believe in modern day prophets and apostles like the church that Christ established in the New Testament.
Now to the great quote, "Women rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing them by, because they know they hold tomorrow tightly in their arms. So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs are greater than those being comforted. That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross. (The kicker) EMPATHY DURING AGONY IS A PORTION OF DIVINITY...When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sounds of lullabies? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? No wonder the men of God support and sustain our sisters in their unique roles, for the act of deserting homes in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people how to swim." Elder Neal A. Maxwell 1979
I love that quote-- you all know my love of politics, but I have to agree though political involvement and letting our voices be heard is important, what I do daily with my little girls will do more to shape this world. It is the single most important thing that I will do with my life and it will decide how I spend my life and the life to come. It is an overwhelming realization, but when we have precious and sweet moments with our dear little children it is worth every ounce of sacrifice.