"O my God, how I love and cherish true motherhood! Nothing beneath the
celestial kingdom can surpass my deathless love for the sweet, true, noble, soul
who gave me birth—my own, own, mother! O she was good! She was true! She was
pure! She was indeed a Saint! A royal daughter of God! To her I owe my very
existence as also my success in life, coupled with the favor and mercy of God!
And next to her I hold in my heart of hearts the Mothers of my own children. I
love them with an imperishable love. I honor them as the Mothers of my children!
I cherish them as the dearest partners of my greatest joys, the sweetest, best
ministers to my earthly pleasures and happiness. My wives! My companions in joy,
in sorrow, in poverty or plenty, in time and throughout all eternity! I love
them for I have confidence in them. I know them; they are clean and sweet and
pure. O they are my very own Mamas! That beloved word has grown in my soul with
every moment of their bitterest trials, and the pains and anguish they have
borne for my sake, and for my children.".... "She who bears the title to that sweetest word ever lisped by human
lips, that most loved, most sacred appellation ever coined in speech, that holy,
precious word—Mother.... Especially is this so when she who bears this sacred
title is herself as sweet and clean and pure as the very spirits which quicken
the bodies of the living souls which she brings into the world. When Mother is
good, she is better than gold or precious gems! When she is as true as the fixed
stars and as clear as the moon and as bright as the sun, the highest type of
motherhood!" (Life of Joseph F.
Smith, p.452)
Mary Fielding Smith had many spiritual experiences on
the trek west, some involving Joseph. Her model of faith and her
ability to get answers to prayers left an unforgettable impression on him. (Boys
Who Became Prophets)
Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph was very close to his mother. She taught
him about prayer and about Joseph Smith and the Prophet's vision. (Boys
Who Became Prophets)
George Albert Smith
The Smith family home had a clay-like dirt around it,
and no grass. Depending on the weather, there was either ankle deep
dust or sticky mud. When George was thirteen he wished that there
was grass and a shade tree that his friends could sit under when they came
to visit. He and his mother made it a family project to have a lawn
before George's father came home from his mission. They planted the
grass and soon it was coming up. (Boys Who Became Prophets)
David O. McKay,
"Throughout Christendom there is no married woman who may not be
entitled to this tribute to motherhood. It is true that some wives have never
been privileged to bear children, but it does not follow that they are not
entitled to every honor due to the best of mothers." ( Gospel Ideals,
p.455)
John Smith, the Patriarch to the Church, came to the
McKay home many times. When David was fourteen, he received a
patriarchal blessing from Elder Smith. After pronouncing the
blessing, the Patriarch loooked into David's eyes and said, "My boy,
you have something more to do besides playing marbles." David went
into the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner and told her,
"If he thinks I'm going to stop playing marbles, he's mistaken."
His wise mother stopped working and tried to explain to him what Elder
Smith had really meant, though she did not fully realize the full meaning
at that time. (Boys Who Became Prophets)
Heber J. Grant,
"The measure of your success will be the degree of honor you pay to
your mothers and to motherhood." ( General Conference, April 1934)
Heber was raised by his mother (no name given) his
father died when he was 9 days old. Heber and his mother were very
close. She used to say that she would take care of him when he was
growing, and later he could take care of her. "So near the Lord
would she get in her prayers, that they were a wonderful inspiration to me
from childhood to manhood," he once said. (Boys Who Became
Prophets)
Harold B. Lee
Harold's mother was a good seamtress. When the
older children grew out of their clothes, she would alter them for use by
the younger member's of the family. They rarely had "store-bought"
clothes. When Harold was four years old and his brother Perry was
six, she made them suits trimmed with lace and ruffles. As soon as
the boys were out of sight from their parents, they would tuck the lace
and ruffles under so their friends would not make fun of them. (Boys Who
Became Prophets)
Spencer W. Kimball,
"We hope, as sons, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers, that you, as
holders of the priesthood, will be considerate and thoughtful of your sisters,
your mothers, your wives, your grandmothers. The priesthood presides in the home,
but it must preside as Jesus Christ presides over his Church — in love, in
service, in tenderness, and in example."
( General Conference, April
1976)
His mother died when he was eleven years old.
He had been very close to her, and he missed her greatly. He loved
her more than anybody else in the world. He tried to be like his
father, but he always felt he had been paid the nicest compliment when
anyone said that he reminded them of his mother. (Boys Who Became Prophets)
Ezra Taft Benson,
"Your children will remember your teachings forever, and when they are old,
they will not depart from them. They will call you blessed—their truly angel
mother. Mothers, this kind of heavenly, motherly teaching takes time—lots of
time. It cannot be done effectively part-time. It must be done all the time in
order to save and exalt your children. This is your divine calling." ( "Teachings of Ezra Taft
Benson")
His mother was a very detailed, organized homemaker and
outstanding cook. She took an advanced sewing class and was able to
clothe her family at a very low cost. Ezra had six brothers and four
sisters, so all of these homemaking skills helped his mother take good care
of them. (Boys Who Became Prophets)
Gordon B. Hinckley
His mother, Ada Bitner, was Gordon's father's second
wife. His first wife Christine, had died, leaving eight children.
Ada was a teacher from the LDS Business College, and she did her best to
help the children who had lost their mother. Being a teacher, she was
used to being around young people, and she brought the family together so
well that they never thought of themselves as being "Christine's
children" or "Ada's children." They were the Hinckley
children. (Boys Who Became Prophets)