My Wonderful Mother

This is an exciting time of year. In two days, I'll get to call my family for the first of only four times while I'm on my mission. The reason? It's Mother's Day!

My family! Back: me, Dad (Kent), Mom (Denna), Harrison.
Front: Audrey, Austin, Derek

My wonderful mother has been such an important influence in my life. She's my best friend. I miss her and think about her often. But I think I've grown to love her even more since I began my missionary service two months ago. I realize a little better the sacrifices my mom and dad made for me. I realize a little better the things she taught me by her example. And I realize in ways I never could have imagined how much she means to me.

Just before I left to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, my mom and I took a trip to Mesa, Arizona to visit family. I'll always treasure that experience. We went through temples in Las Vegas and Mesa on our way. We visited the Mesa Arts Center and drove past our family's old home to see how much it's changed. We spent time with my awesome cousins.

Mesa Arts Center

But my favorite part of the whole trip was just spending time with my mom. We talked about a lot of things. We read scriptures together. We stopped at all the places we normally don't see on our family's Arizona trips and enjoyed them all.

My mom and I have similar taste in music, and so we enjoyed listening to favorite tunes along the way. I love most of the artists my mom grew up with—especially Karen Carpenter. My mom probably has a better idea than anybody how much I miss listening to music.

I have so many wonderful memories with mom. I simply couldn't write them all here. But the most important thing I know about mom is this: she loves her family, and she loves the Lord. She's spent her entire married life teaching me, my brothers and sister the importance of living the gospel. She leads by example and she loves us even when we probably don't deserve it.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you.