mother's day

Mother's Day 2015 began with a defiant child (Anna) causing all kinds of havoc while we rushed around getting ready for church.  This havoc produced a bit of chaos as we jumped in our car at 11:01 and drove to our 11am church meetings.  Luckily, we live in Utah which means our church is 2 minutes away and we only arrived about 5 minutes late (that math does not work, but that is how I remember it).

Upon exiting our car, Anna ran across the parking lot while mommy and daddy frantically chased after her.  Luckily again, there were no cars driving nearby.  After a very stern talking to about the dangers of running in a parking lot, we rushed into the building.  When we were just outside the chapel doors, Anna again took off running into the chapel.  Tony ran into the chapel after her, grabbed her quite forcibly and I, holding Ryan's hand, hurried in after him.  My purpose was to try to calm things down while quickly finding a seat to quietly slip into.  Scanning the chapel, I quickly saw that there were no convenient places to sit so I whispered to Tony "keep going, keep going" and we continued walking and exited out the doors on the opposite side of the chapel while the congregation continued to sing the opening hymn "Love At Home."

Now I'm not one of those women who dislike Mother's Day with a passion, but I certainly understand that tendency.  I think it's a combination of my expectation management and refusal to feel guilty for the myriad of maternal shortcomings that saves me from passionate negative feelings on the one day a year that celebrates one of the most difficult (yet most important) callings (in my humble opinion) in life.

Not to downplay the love that I have for my two children, but this Mother's Day, I found myself thinking about my Peruvian family. I was able to speak to Wilfredo for a little while before we had technical difficulties with Skype and were cut off.  Wilfredo doesn't speak English and we communicate in my extremely broken Spanish which means we don't communicate much at all.  But we were able to connect for a few minutes and I was able to talk to my missionary.  He finishes his mission in Ecuador next month and it was good to see he is healthy and happy and finishing strong.  I couldn't be more proud of my missionary son.

Then I was able to talk for over an hour with Adril.  Adril has been home from his mission for several months and is doing fabulous!  He is living in Cusco, studying accounting and English and is, by the pictures he posts on Facebook, surrounded by friends and happiness.

These two boys, along with all of the children at the Sunflower Orphanage, have brought so much joy and fulfillment to my life. I cried as Adril and Wilfredo told me they loved me. Adril told me that the other children asked about me as well as Juan and Delia and Gladys (the house parents). We talked about several of the children - Nancy, Mayda, Yudy, Ninoska, Dayana, Ronald, Yosimar, Maria, Purfita... These are the kids who gave me purpose in life as I was nearing 40 years of age, single without hope of getting married or having children of my own. Serving these children made me realize that I would have a fulfilling and meaningful life no matter my marital status. 

Really, it was in Peru that I first became a mother.  And so on this Mother's Day, while I am so grateful for my little Ryan and Anna (and of course my amazing mom whom I love dearly), I am grateful for those Peruvian children that I so selfishly call my own.  I love them, I pray for them but most of all, I am honored to be a small part of their lives.