In honor of Mother's Day, BYU-Hawaii accounting professor Glade Tew and his wife, Donnette — who recently completed a one-year term as American Mothers Inc. Hawaii Young Mother of the Year — jointly delivered the May 5th university devotional in which they described motherhood as the "noblest calling in the world."
"We have chosen to honor the mothers in our lives, the sacrifices they make, the love they share, and the devotion they give to that which is good. We want to recognize the wonderful role that mothers have in our Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness," said Brother Tew. He and his wife are the adoptive parents of four children ranging from ages two-to-twelve.
"I know firsthand that you don't have to give birth to a child to have those motherly feelings," she replied. "We realize that not everyone has a wonderful relationship with their mother. And there are many other women who can influence our lives, whether they be grandmothers, single or married women, with children or without. Women who are not our own mothers can have some of the greatest influence on us. The scriptures and our latter-day prophets have taught us of the great influence of mothers."
The couple pointed out that Eve recognized the role of family in God's plan; that women who are not mothers also show qualities of spirituality, love and faithfulness; and that President David O. McKay called motherhood "the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life."
"Much of that good influence comes from simple words and acts that may at the time seem small or even mundane. And yet 'Out of small things proceedeth that which is great' (D&C 64:33). Today, we recognize and applaud those small and simple things done by the mothers in our lives that, added together, result in great things," said Sister Tew, who noted that though her mother struggled with reading, she determined her children would not have the same challenges by reading aloud to them.
"We didn't know that my mom wasn't a good reader. Because of that small act, all nine children in our family enjoy reading. And now her grandchildren are benefiting."
Brother Tew recalled "the fervent prayers my mother has given in my behalf. I know that those prayers continue even when I do not see them. I feel of their strength, and sometimes today when I have something difficult to deal with, such as preparing for this devotional, I ask for my parents' prayers, because of the strength I feel from them."
He added that there are "other women, not our mothers, who have given us mother-like love," which Sister Tew followed up with the example of "a young women's leader that went out of her way to be my friend. She had an incredible influence on my teenage years. I am so thankful for her watching out for me during that time."
She also said it's important to remember such motherly service. "Sometimes we have a tendency to want to be super women. When we aren't perfect we take our bug nets and catch those imperfections and dwell on them; we compare ourselves with others and allow our weaknesses to bug us and become so big that we forget the good things that we do."
The solution, she continued, was well stated by the late Sister Marjorie Hinckley in her book called "Small and Simple Things": We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are... Don't dwell on your failures, but think about your successes.
Brother Tew pointed out some of those successes can come out of a BYU-Hawaii education which includes training for careers and "also prepares us for the greatest career of all — that of parents." Sister Tew added, "One mother told me recently, 'I have used something from every class I ever took in college in my parenting.'"
"I am thankful for the degree I have in elementary education. It has been a blessing as I help our children with their schoolwork and volunteer at the school. How wonderful it is to be a mother! As I grew up in a large family the thing I wanted most was to be a mother. It did not happen the way I expected. There were years when I wondered if I would have the privilege of being a mom. I feel honored and humbled that Heavenly Father and four birth mothers have given me the opportunity to do the most important work of being a mother."
"I would like to publicly thank my mother," Sister Tew continued. "She taught me the gospel and also taught me homemaking skills that have helped me be a better mother. I would also like to thank my Heavenly Father for the honor of being a mom. I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that his gospel has been restored to the earth. By living the gospel it will help us to get back 'home' to our heavenly parents."
Thank you, women who fulfill mother roles in our lives," Brother Tew said. "I am eternally grateful to my mother, and to all women, who fulfill their God-given roles by the love and kindness they share. I bear testimony that our Heavenly Father's plan is a family plan. His plan is a plan of happiness."