Mother Dear

My children play a joke on me occasionally, which is of particular significance today. They will ask me "Dad, if you had to give up one of your children, which one of us would it be?" To which I respond that I could never give up any of them. Could another child be loved less? I think not. How could that be? It doesn't make any sense. Our love is not an account from which we can draw resources until it is depleted. On the contrary, our love is magnified and grows in size and depth as we give it away to others.

Perhaps that is what Jesus Christ meant when he said "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." He also said "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortablity and eternal life of men." So it makes sense that if our Father's work and glory is directed toward his family, then our focus and happiness should be centered around our families as well. And as we give of ourselves to bring joy into the lives of family members, our happiness grows and develops beyond anything we thought possible.

That's the significance of today's message. Your mother loves you more than you can understand at this point in your lives. She gave you life and spends her days trying to make your life better and your joy complete. Fathers get a unique perspective on how much mothers suffer to bring children into this world. Their every moment is consumed with the welfare of their family and especially their children. And that sacrifice is why a mother's love is akin to God's love.

So my next message is to the men of the family: to my son, my son-in-laws, my brothers and all my nephews.  Like unto the counsel Nephi gave his own sons, I exhort you to be men of courage and a sound mind. Recognize the great gift and blessing your mothers are for you. I have always admired the Stripling Warriors for their courage, dedication, and commitment to do what is right despite unimaginable odds, because they listened to and believed their mothers. Then they fought to protect them from harm or shame, and they won. And so can you.

Keep your mother's and sweetheart's reputations untarnished. Be a strength and a great support to them. And most of all, love them and treat them like queens--because that is exactly who they are.




Quotes for mother

Giving Your Very Best to the Lord

It’s been a roller-coaster ride in our home this week. Our feelings have been near the surface and still are. My daughter’s boyfriend entered the MTC yesterday. Frankly, I didn’t expect the rush of emotion I felt.

This fine young man has become a beloved member of our family and cherished like one of my own. We don’t bid him adieu with regret. Of course we are excited, pleased, and supportive of his decision to faithfully serve the Lord. I know from personal experience that this is the best decision for him, his family, and my daughter.  Yet that knowledge doesn’t make it easy. It makes it bearable. Let me explain.

My whole life, I have planned and prepared for a mission. It was a goal that my parents established in my heart as a child. Through both the good and the bad, a mission has been a beacon and a goal for me to which I could aspire. So naturally when I became a new father, I wanted this privilege for my own son. Since his infancy, we prayed that he would have the opportunity to serve a mission. We shared experiences and told stories from our own lives and experiences to inspire, encourage, and motivate our son. His mother told him stories of stripling warriors, faithful sons, and sacrifice from the scriptures and real life examples. She is a convert to the Church and two young missionaries found her when tracting her childhood neighborhood at the time. Because other fathers and mothers faithfully reared their sons to serve the Lord and were willing to be separated from them during the prime of their lives, my sweetheart was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which ultimately enabled us to meet, fall in love, and get married. I owe a debt of gratitude to these young men which I cannot even articulate.

But admittedly, I wasn’t ready for the swell of emotions I felt when I sent my own son into the mission field. We had such a great time during his high school years—baseball, music, concerts, and friends—it went all too fast. So when we considered the reality of sending our boy away for two years at the prime of his life, it was an emotion that I never anticipated. I prayed for this event my whole adult life and taught him to plan for this day since the time he was just a little boy. But I never anticipated the depth of feeling that would come to the surface when I was actually facing his leaving us for two years at the prime of his life. It was stark, unexpected, and raw. But I knew it was the right thing to do, so I held my emotions in check and encouraged him as any father would. These sentiments were revealed again this week as we sent another missionary into the mission field—my daughter’s missionary.

It has been years now since my son arrived home from his mission. Upon his return, he selected a school, declared a major and completed his education. Now he has a beautiful wife and family of his own. He is teaching his son to serve the Lord and prepare for a full-time mission. He, too, will experience the tangible emotion and personal longing associated with sending your finest into the service of the Lord. But I have perspective now that I didn’t know then when I was young. My commitment is more than faith. It is borne out of a life of experience seeing the blessings of service in the Lord’s Kingdom. Now I know from personal experience the efforts we expend in the Lord’s behalf will be returned with blessings a hundred fold even now in this life, coupled with the greatest of all the gifts of God in the world to come—eternal life.

Others give valiant gifts through noble hardship, lost loved ones, or service in the Kingdom of God. He appreciates these gestures all and stands ready to open the windows of heaven to bless those who serve and sacrifice for Him. Malachi 3:10

“Rise from mediocrity to competence—from failure to achievement—to be our best selves.”

President Thomas Monson

“Each of us has a part to play in the plan. And each of us is equally valiant in the eyes of the Lord.”

Sister Bonnie Oscarson

“Find happiness in ordinary things and keep your sense of humor.”

Elder Boyd K Packer

“Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the Son and your influence will never fade.”

Elder D Todd Christofferson

“The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.”

Elder David Bednar

 “We never need feel we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service, because we never are.”

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

“Defend your beliefs with courtesy and compassion, but defend them.”

Elder Jeffrey Holland

There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.”

President Thomas S Monson

And perhaps my favorite scripture with respect to the privilege and blessings of serving in the Kingdom of God can be found in the New Testament. We needn’t wait for a distant time to see the fruits of living and serving the Lord. He begins blessing us immediately and throughout eternity.

29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,

30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Mark 10:29,30

It’s an honor to give your finest to the Lord, and the fathers and mothers in the Lord’s kingdom all across the world do it every time they send and support their sons and daughters on missions as ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

VICTORY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

“Every man born into the world will die. It matters not who he is, nor where he is, whether his birth be among the rich and the noble, or among the lowly and poor in the world, his days are numbered with the Lord, and in due time he will reach the end. We should think of this. Not that we should go about with heavy hearts or with downcast countenances; not at all. I rejoice that I am born to live, to die, and to live again. I thank God for this intelligence. It gives me joy and peace that the world cannot give, neither can the world take it away. God has revealed this to me, in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it to be true. Therefore, I have nothing to be sad over, nothing to make me sorrowful.​

Joseph Fielding Smith

“We Care Enough to Send Our Very Best”

You served me well my little child. Come into my arms to stay. When He Comes Again

God's handiwork

Mother cherishes her children…she wants the best for them. She treads fearlessly across the depths of sorrow and draws nigh unto death to give them life. Her most important purpose is her children’s happiness—a quality emulating God Himself. In many ways, she is the miracle the world is seeking. We gratefully witness her majesty daily and respectfully honor her. To mothers everywhere, thank you! 

I see now how lucky I am to have five beautiful daughters. Every time a child is born, so is a mother. Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother.

Perhaps the most comforting and endearing of sounds on earth is mother's response when we call out for her. Whatever the reply, we feel better knowing she is there for us. We are more sure, more confident, more secure because we have mother cheering for us.

Through you, mother, we have a noble birthright. You hold the promises of eternity.

The gifts He has in store for you surpass your wildest hopes and dreams.

Thank you for your support, love, and encouragement. We will forever be in your debt.

It feels right that God's handiwork comes through mothers.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Daughter of a King

We did it

This has been a great week, including visits from family and holiday celebrations. We watch the Olympics with great interest. You may have seen Noelle Pikus Pace capture her first Olympic medal for women's skeleton in Soshi. Noelle and her family are friends of ours and neighbors (when we lived in north Orem). Her story of coming back after multiple setbacks is inspiring. She is a motivational speaker, an athlete, and a mom.

I also had the chance to begin chronicling mom's journal of first days spent in Castle Valley. The project is just beginning with lots more to do, but the memories and sacrifices made in our behalf are astounding to read now with hindsight. In every sense of the word, Granny is a champion. She was the inspiration behind our Castle Valley experience and mother that held it all together.

We are surrounded by a wonderful family and have many miracles all about us. This is largely due to our wives and mothers and their never-ending dedication and love. My Sweetheart has truly given me my greatest blessings. She works hard everyday to make our small piece of the world and family-life even better. She is the heart of our home, love of my life, and dedicated mother.

Who would have known? As we look to make bigger and better accomplishments though out life, remember we did not get where we are by ourselves. We are the product of the sacrifice of others.

Therein lies true greatness.

Noelle Pikus Pace

The Will of God

The scriptures discussing the last days, talk about the fiery darts of the adversary that will be severe and the sore deceptions of our day, so much that even the very elect may be deceived. Matthew 1:22 

Sounds pretty bad. It's prophesied to be so grim that if the last days were not shortened, none would be saved. Matthew 1:19-20

That's pretty powerful language. So what are these hurtful darts? And why fiery? How can you recognize them?

Tactics and strategies of the adversary designed to mislead mankind can be referred to as fiery darts. They are destructive. They may appear relatively small, yet are incredibly powerful, hence why so many are deceived.

And what is the significance of a fiery dart? Well. I think one way to explain it follows:

You have all played darts. Seems like a relatively harmless game. Yet the darts used in the jungle to kill prey can be coated with poison, which means they would be more painful and damaging. But a fiery dart is even more destructive. Fiery darts are the most dangerous of all and may leave devastation in their path. It's not really the "point" of the dart that is really the most concerning. It's the flame. A properly positioned fiery dart can destroy an entire covered wagon, a ship, a fort, or even a city.

A partial list may include the depression, pornography, other addictions, and challenges we are called to face in the every day obstacles of life.

Of course, that is not comprehensive but a sampling. Yet the tactical strategies to overcome the multitude of fiery darts of the adversary are the same. They could include the following:

• Holding Fast to the Rod (keep the commandments)
• Blessings of the temple (attend the temple)
• Strength of studying the scriptures (study the scriptures)
• Our Duty to God (find strength and unity in the home)
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ (live the gospel)

Ephesians 6:16 promises us that the shield of faith will protect us from all the fiery darts. You can recognize and deal with them. And you needn't face them alone because, family and friends can provide help, support, and strength.

Enduring to the end is key. This gives the Lord an opportunity to help us. I love the words Paul spoke at the close of his life:

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7)

We build our testimonies on the rock of Jesus Christ that we, too, may be able to say those words during hardship and in the twilight of our lives.

That is my hope and prayer. Mormon 9:37

Two Principles for Any Economy

How to Endure to the End

Mothers and Daughters

I love you

I was searching through my filing cabinet recently. Below the hanging folders, a tattered newspaper article appeared on the bottom of the drawer. I squeezed the folders together to make room and slipped my hand between them to retrieve it.

The newspaper clipping was yellowed and torn slightly. I unfolded the bends and flattened the creases best I could then lifted it to read "Don't wait for a special day to tell Dad you love him."

Of course, I remember finding this article clipping and saving it. So I sat down with anticipation, anxious to read it once again. It did not disappoint.

I went to the Stucki Cousins reunion yesterday in Bountiful. I know you all wanted to go and I fielded questions about you and our growing families.

This picture shows Margaret, Grandpa Bill, Bonnie, Barbara, Grandma Lucy, and Richard.

The words of our fathers are family scripture for us. we have manyes at our disposal to save and share their words of wisdom, advice, and warning. I found a special tribute written by Grandpa Richard regarding some observations regarding experiences in the early days of Castle Valley.

How would our lives be different today if we did not have the legacy left by our fathers and mothers?

Each time we read we should probably ask ourselves "Why did these writers choose these particular stories or events to include in the record? What value are they for us today"

Related article:

The best decision I ever made

Watch yourselves

I wish to emphasize the importance of keeping the commandments of God. The great deception of this world is that happiness is a product of what happens to us.

Happiness is a gift to the obedient.

May I begin today with a story…

We have been in our local congregation for 16 years—my how time flies. The majority of our children have graduated from American Fork High School and essentially our family has grown up in this little community.

But it all started in Provo, Utah actually. I had just returned from my mission and started attending school at BYU. I lived a few miles off campus at the time with my sister and her little boy. In addition to going to various classes where I met other students, my social interaction was BYU dances. These were way back in the day when live bands played at these events.

Because I was staying off campus, BYU dances on the weekends was a big part of my social life. I was released from my mission just six months prior. I had just finished Dance 180 weeks earlier and enrolled in Dance 280, so I thought I was well-prepared. But looking back, I had no idea what I as getting into. After one night in particular, my life would never be the same.

As I remember, for some reason I arrived at the dance early. Yes. This was basically … in the olden days (when the best dances consisted of live bands), and the group was still setting up their equipment in the Garden Court on campus at the Wilkinson Center. So I was trying in to play it cool.

Meanwhile, a particular young lady prepared for and attended the dance that evening. When I saw her, I asked if she would like to take a turn with me. She told me her name and joined me on the dance floor.

She danced her way into my heart that night and every day since. We have six beautiful children and recently four incredible grandsons. I love being with my wife and family.

Thank you for allowing me to reminisce. Now you know a little bit more about me and your mother. Some of you are just now beginning the trek we started nearly forty years ago, but there is a purpose in my sharing these details with you

Yes. You could say that your mother and I were quite the pair. I want to speak with you today about pairs. There are lots of pairs. They often go well together.

Some are opposites:

Good and bad / Hot and cold / Light and dark / Top and bottom / Health and sickness

And some pairs have similarities:

Lock and key / Mom and dad / Cowboys and Indians / Bed and Breakfast

OK. So what would you come up with to pair with the word obedience? Compliance, agreement, respect. Those are all good options, but when I consider the word obedience, I would pair it with “blessings.”

Have you ever felt that Heavenly Father keeps blessings to himself instead of freely sharing them with all of us? No. In reality, He showers us with all the blessings that He can:

• Beautiful sunshine
• Clean water
• Homes
• Spectacular mountains
• A free country
• Health
• Family
• Loved ones and much, much more.

We live in a wonderful day-and-age with modern conveniences and tons of miracles. What we easily take for granted, many have never seen or even imagined. Every time we go to Costco, I can’t believe that we live in a country where our stores are filled with food and goods and abundance from floor to ceiling. It is amazing.

Next time you struggle to find a place in your fridge to fit the leftovers, think how lucky you are to reside in this country and about the promised blessing found in Malachi chapter 3 verse 10:

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Blessings, abundance, plenty and to spare—the temple ordinances are the crowning blessings that the Church has to offer.

The blessings of the Temple enable us to live in harmony now and be with our families and loved ones after death back in the presence of our Father in Heaven. We achieve these blessings through obedience.

Listen to our beloved prophet President Russell M Nelson   Thanks Be to God

“Each day, ours is the challenge to access the power of the Atonement so that we can truly change, become more Christ like, and qualify for the gift of exaltation and live eternally with God, Jesus Christ, and our families.”

Those words are from of our dear prophet President Nelson, but they are my sentiments as well.

Jesus Christ has promised blessings to the obedient. Luke recorded “it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”  Luke 6:37

Luke lived 2000 years ago.  During that time, people often went to the market to secure grain for bread.

I love that metaphor. Consider with me for a moment that you have gone down to say Costco. Something is five for a dollar. So you examine the possibilities, measure the largest of the choices, pick the best of the bunch, pay and walk away happy. Now imagine you were living in Jerusalem 2000-years-ago, and you’re going to the market for grain. There are many vendors, but you frequent the one that carefully and precisely fills your basket well with good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

That is exactly how God blesses us. Your mother joined the Church when she was 15. Even at that young age, she recognized the value of Church membership. At the time, I was living in Utah and interested in football, cars, and girls. Admittedly, at that young age I didn’t fiully appreciate the full importance and value of the commandments and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Maybe some of you feel that way as well, but I have a much different perspective now.

The opportunity to receive and obey commandments that we may take for granted can become the ultimate source for joy in our lives today, and I have a pretty good idea that it should continue to be our strategy for eternal joy in the world to come. I still like football, cars, and I love your mother, but I am much wiser now and know beyond a shadow of a doubt from whence my joy comes. But even that is not my primary purpose for why I am obedient today.

Love for the Savior

We are not achieving our most important goal until we have established in the hearts of our children and the saints a great and abiding love for the Savior Jesus Christ.

Friends may betray us, spouses may leave us, health may fail, and our possessions burn up. But, Christ, His promises, understanding, and love will never fail us. With some trials and most tragedies, only this can get us through.

When we can take a thankless, demanding calling; give up something we wanted greatly so we can pay our tithing; or help out someone who has badly hurt us… and say, ‘I wouldn’t do this for anyone else, but I will do it for Christ!’ …then the power for good that he can have in our lives is becoming a reality. He must be the foundation of our lives. He stands ready to bless us, today and throughout eternity.

 “The eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Jesus Christ is the Architect of our happiness in this world and that to come. He marked the path and showed the way, but it is up to us to walk it.

Obedience is the tool that he uses to help us realize the blessings of all his promises.

“Don’t be too critical of the barrier. It’s the only thing keeping you from being devoured.”

The Lord’s commandments are intended for our joy in this life just as much as they are intended for our joy and exaltation in the next.

King Benjamin is someone I think we can unanimously say was well-liked. Why? Because he cared about his people and served them and worked for his own support rather than burdening them with heavy taxes, he was well-loved by all the people.

He chose to rule by setting an example of humility, righteous living, and service; and he strove always to teach his people how to live Heavenly Father’s commandments. Again I ask why?

Let’s defer to King Benjamin’s own words for the answer:

He remarked that he could not explain all the ways to commit sin; for there are so many ways and means that he could not even number them. And then he said…

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.  Mosiah 4:30

This was their king whom they loved, and he loved them and served them and wisely counseled them to be obedient and flee from sin, so that they could live full and happy lives of abundance here and now and enjoy exaltation in the world to come.

 

You may not have all the things that you hoped for to make you happy, but you will be rich with abundance and your reward here-and-now will be great. Our King has told us that very thing:

29 There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,

30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands…; and in the world to come eternal life.

That is one of my favorite scriptures of all time. It gives me hope and strength when I need it. But there is another scripture that I believe explains well WHY we should keep the commandments of God:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Rom. 8: 35-39

We are obedient because of our love for the Savior. That is the power for good that he can have in our lives.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…   Rom. 8: 28

Obedience is truly the key.