My Mormon Third Eye: I See… Hardcore Motherhood

Sunday, March 30, 2014

I See… Hardcore Motherhood

Motherhood is not for sissies. This is the message I extracted from the most recent book published by the “Power of Moms” online community, “Motherhood Realized.” This collection of essays, all short yet powerful enough to distract even the most discriminating reader during a bathroom visit, seeks to define and refine the life and purpose of “deliberate mothers;” it fully describes the range of responsibilities of women who choose to find joy in their divine nurturing roles, regardless of their circumstances and challenges. Its unique strength lies in accurately championing the distinctly multifaceted roles of all mothers, regardless of their station and stage in life, without directly judging those unfortunate women blinded by the morals and relativism of the world to forgo this path. All are welcome to discover and explore the potential, wannabee, young, frustrated, imperfect, impassioned, empty-nester, and proxy moms of today as they navigate life’s constantly changing landscape, even twilight fathers like myself. It confirmed the innate jealously I held as a struggling father for moms who were blessed so spend so much quality time with their children.

It sparked in my soul latent memories of my own mom. She now lives out the end of her days in a memory care center, and her Alzheimers allows me to successfully brighten her day with happy birthday wishes several times a year. Mom was neither a scriptorian, rocket scientist, nor master chef, and our family circumstances required that she spend her nights taking care of other mothers’ newborns at the hospital while we slept. She did, however, leave us a precious moral gift- there was never any question about what was right and what was wrong. Thousands of important, successful decisions have been made by seven grown children since then.

I love my mom, and I love this book. Read it and weep. Weep for those families infected by part-time women who choose motherhood as a hobby, not as an all-consuming passion.

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The Mormon Third Eye Quote of the Week

"As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Priesthood Session Conference, October 2012

Why My Mormon Third Eye?

When I politely excused myself in the middle of dinner to make a bathroom stop, how did Mom know that I had uneaten peas in my pocket to flush down the toilet? When I came home late from a youth dance and slid quietly into bed to avoid waking parental units, how did Dad know, without looking at the car, that I smashed in the front bumper? When I watch my daughter play a video game, how do I know that she's not ready for her Geometry final?

Its the Third Eye. The notorious eye in the back of the head, the extra view of life that God blesses parents striving to do the right thing so they can see more of life than the children they chase after.

Our third eye also permits us to see things and feel emotions that are too refined, too far on the edge of our standard two-eyed peripheral vision to enjoy in its fullness. I've learned that I have a Mormon Third Eye; that is, as a life-long, fully-dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have unique perspective on how the doctrines of the gospel and the demands of my faith in them intersect every other part of my mortal existence to create the entertaining, self-deprecating kaleidoscope of my life.

So... for those of you bold and bored enough to read this far, every so often I'll be sharing here what my Mormon third eye sees. Third eyes are relatively huge; they see the humorous, the entertaining, the embarrassing, the beautiful, the inspirational, and even the moral and political; however, they tend to ignore the evil, depressing and destructive: there is enough of that in world already!

The Four Secrets to Successful Living

Always Go Where There is Free Food - This includes ward and work parties, wedding receptions and missionary open houses; the money you spend to buy the ingredients for the world-famous triple chocolate cake you bring doesn’t count.
Never Pay Full Price for Anything – See my posts on Black Friday escapades for more information on this.
Never, Ever Press the Red Button - Usually, if you are faced with a red button somewhere, don’t press it – it usually means trouble. For example, the red button launches the missiles. Do yourself a favor and don’t press it.
Any Problem You Face Can Be Solved With Bungee Cords and Duct Tape - Bungee cord and duct tape technology has saved many marriages and ward parties. I’m not just talking about problems with plumbing or keeping groceries from bouncing around the trunk; I know of relationship and family issues that have been solved with creative applications of these two substances.