HELLO MOI: MY MOTHER

Today is Mothers Day.

The best part about Mothers Day

...to me...

is to be able to spend it with my family!

Because of my family, my children,

I am the mother I am.

They have taught me so much.

I have much joy in my life because of my family.

The worst part of Mothers Day...

There is a part of me, which also feels very inadequate on Mother's Day.

I hear about these great mothers, and it makes me feel like I have so much to learn still...so much work to do...and there is that small voice inside of me which tells me that

I fall so short

when it comes to being a great mother.

I do remind myself that this is a process.

Maybe next Mothers Day I have learned a little more,

served a little more diligently,

taught my children more

and maybe

I will feel a little less inadequate.

I have been blessed with such great examples of amazing mothers in my own life..

not least my own Mother.

I have learned so much from my own Mother...not through her words but thorough her actions...

the way she is living her life.

I learned from my Mother...

...I can do anything I really want to do.

My Mother has accomplished so much in her life.

When she was 17 she met the Mormon missionaries.

She felt the spirit in their message and was converted and joined
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

At the time she was an accomplished table tennis player, representing her country in the national table tennis team.

She left that behind her,

wanting to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not play on Sundays anymore.

She served a mission.

She met my father while he was in Holland for two weeks,

supervising the building of the church buildings in Europe.

When my parents married she moved to Finland.

Country she did not know,
surrounded by language she did not speak.

She taught me already in young age the importance of supporting her husband, the breadwinner, by moving where he could find work, and do it with a positive attitude.

This has definitely played a big part on my own life...when I moved, not just to United States, but to Las Vegas area.

Where it is hot...and BROWN...

nothing like Finland, which is covered by blue water and green forest.

My mother learned Finnish.

She created us home in Finland, but also made sure we knew the Dutch part of our heritage.

She shared the gospel message fearlessly with anybody who had ears to listen.
Not many were interested but that did not stop her.

When the time was right she was able to be an instrument in God's hand to share the gospel with her new found Russian friends.

She had felt a desire to start playing table tennis again, and that gave her an opportunity to go to Russia and play there in tournaments. She was able to obtain sports visas, which helped the missionaries to cross the boarder with her, and hold
firesides in a nearby city, Vyborg, in Russia. Many, many people were baptized and started enjoying the blessings of the gospel in their lives.
Because of my Mother, I had amazing missionary experiences in my life...experiences I will never forget, and I will treasure them the rest of my life.

My mother taught me never to speak ill of the people around me. When I was a teenager, I remember being scolded by my mother when I would say unkind things of other people. Even now when I think of saying something unkind of somebody,

I see my mother right in front of me...not approving my behavior...and it makes me think twice...

One of the greatest blessing my mother has given me is her unwavering support of my choices in my life.

She has never made me feel guilty that I left my family, my country, and decided to move far away, raising my children...her grandchildren in the other side of the world.

There are times when I struggle with home sickness to my birth country...

my parents...

my siblings...

but at least I don't have to feel that my mother is disappointed for the choices I made.

Quite contrary...she makes me feel that she is happy for my choices,

she is proud of the way I life my life,

and the person, mother I have become...