Styles of Scenery

When I was 14 years old I went to Germany.  It was beautiful.  I savored the crumbly castles, the stately manors, the beautiful Rhine River. 

When I was 21 years old I went to Japan.  It was intriguing.  I fell in love with the delicious food, the kindly people, the striking shrines.

Last year I went to Hawaii.  It was gorgeous.  I drank in the blue lagoons, I cherished the silky sand under my feet, I marveled at the exotic sunsets.

So much scenery.  So much beauty.  So much glory and goodness in the world.  I felt the majesty of each country and landscape to my toenails.  Their sights and sounds and smells and soul-touching views filled my very being. They were all beautiful in their own right.

Last week we met a family:  the Boswell family from Independence, Missouri.  They had 11 children.  The mother and father were our age.  Their oldest child was 17.  Their youngest child was 5 months (our angel baby would have been five months right now.) They believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They had a Bosch bread mixer.  They ground their wheat for morning pancakes.  They wore their Sunday clothes during the entire Sabbath.  They loved families and children and joy just as much as we did. 

Despite the fact that we had only met them once, we stayed at their home overnight.  We were touched by the family photos all over their walls.  We were delighted with the delicious meal their children aptly fixed.  We watched with wonder at their homeschool set up, their laundry pattern, their family methods and practices.  We enjoyed the day together, touring the sites of Missouri, talking about things that were dear to us. We were uplifted and left a better family.

After we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Am I doing alright?”  I don’t homeschool my 9 children.  I don’t have a laundry pattern like theirs.  I don’t teach my boys to make muffins when they are 6 years old.  Our scripture study is different than theirs.  Mmmm…..  I couldn’t help but begin to doubt my motherhood abilities. 

But then I remembered:  Germany is gorgeous.  Japan is intriguing.  Hawaii is astounding.  Each is different.  Each is beautiful.  Each is right.

Parenthood is the same.  There are a million ways to be a good mother.  Or ten million, or twenty billion.  Each mother is different, and can be right in her own approach.  The key is love and following the spirit. 

Just as missionaries are called to the country where they are needed – or which needs them – children are sent to the families where they are needed, or the family which needs them. 

I love Germany.  I love Japan.  I love Hawaii.  I love the Boswell family.  I love my family.  I love so many families that have inspired and uplifted me over the years.  I will be better because of their love and example.  And I can take a piece of every family I meet and carry it in my heart, adapt it into my style, improve my motherhood.  Just like a piece of Europe and a piece of Asia and a piece of the islands live inside of me.

Indeed, it is the different styles of scenery that make this world beautiful.