My Mother-in-Law

A few years ago, I was reading Joseph Smith History where the angel Moroni is quoting from the last chapter of Malachi in the Old Testament.  He says:

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (Joseph Smith History 1:39)

It’s slightly different from what is in Malachi:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6)

To me, it is notable that Moroni does not say that the hears of the fathers shall turn to their children.  I can’t help but wonder if that’s because the hearts of the fathers are already turned to their children.  It’s us, the children, that need to turn to our fathers, our parents, for they are already mindful of and love us.

I think this is in the front of my mind as my family is preparing to take a trip to Southern California to see my mother-in-law.  It’s not an easy trip (from Wisconsin).  The expense and time are not a minor consideration, but it is still an important and exciting time for us.  How I wish we had unlimited resources and could spend loads more time with her there.  How I wish that my children could spend more time getting to know their grandmother in person.  In reality, though, our funds are limited, but it’s still important that we take our children to visit their grandmother; this is something I strongly feel we need to do, even if we only have a short time to visit.

Young moms are often told to cherish the times they have with their babies, for it goes by too fast and they are all grown up.  I think the reverse is also true.  We need to turn to our parents and cherish the moments we have with them, for it is also short.

I love you, Mom.  I can’t wait to get to California and see you!  I can’t wait for you to meet your younger grandchildren!  We will be on our way in just a few short days.