In my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is the individual members of the congregation who are asked to give the weekly sermons. On May 8, 2022, Mother's Day, along with three youth and a young mother, I was asked to speak about mothers at the Frenchtown Montana Ward. Below are my remarks, links to scriptures and other historical information, interspersed with personal photos.
A
MOTHER’S DAY QUIZ
The
Lord told my husband in a dream that Jerusalem would be destroyed. My sons
later went back to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates. Who am I?
-Sariah,
mother of Nephi, Sam, Laman & Lemuel, & husband of Lehi
I
promised the Lord that if I had a son, he would serve the Lord. My son grew up
in the temple & became a prophet. Who am I?
-Hannah,
mother of Samuel
I
had nine children. One of them saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They
called him by name. Who am I?
-Lucy Mack Smith, mother of Joseph Smith
I
did not have any children until I was very old. My son baptized Jesus Christ in
the Jordan River. Who am I?
-Elisabeth,
mother of John the Baptist
My
husband was commanded by the Lord to sacrifice my son. Who am I?
-Sarah,
mother of Isaac & husband of Abraham
I
saved my baby son from pharaoh by putting him in a basket in the river. He
later led the Israelites to the promised land. Who am I?
-Jochebed,
mother of Moses
Our
sons, all 2,060 of them, fought valiantly and kept the faith because they had
been taught by us. Who are we?
-mothers
of the stripling warriors
My
son had a coat of many colors and a lot of brothers. They threw him in a pit
and sold him into Egypt, but he later saved their lives. Who am I?
-Rachel,
mother of Joseph
I
was called “blessed” by an angel of the Lord. My son became the Savior of the
world. Who am I?
-Mary,
mother of Jesus Christ
My
husband and I were the first inhabitants of the earth, lived in the garden of
Eden and had the first offspring. Who am I?
-Eve,
the first woman and first mother
I
have many, many children. How many? They are as numberless as the grains of sands
on the seashore yet I know each of them all by name. Who am I?
-Heavenly
Mother
THE
FAITH & GOOD WORKS OF MOTHERS (according to modern-day prophets)
As
adults, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum became ill with cholera.
As they lay near death, Hyrum suddenly leaped up, saying, “I have had an open
vision, in which I saw mother [Lucy Mack Smith] kneeling … asking God, in
tears, to spare our lives. … The Spirit testifies, that her prayers … will be
answered.” Both brothers soon got well.
While
on the trail, the oxen belonging to young Joseph F. Smith and his mother, Mary
Fielding Smith, wandered away from camp. Joseph F. searched for hours with no
luck. When he returned to camp, he found his mother praying to find the oxen.
Immediately after her prayer, she was guided by the Spirit and found the oxen
Heber J. Grant’s mother, Rachel Ridgeway Grant, came from a wealthy family. After she
was baptized, her family offered her a large sum of money to leave the Church.
She refused. After her husband died, she worked hard sewing clothes and taking
in boarders to provide for Heber.
During
the Depression, when many people had no money, men often knocked on the Monson’s
door, begging for work and food. Thomas S. Monson’s mother, Gladys Condie
Monson, never turned a man away. When Tommy repainted his family’s picket
fence, Tommy’s mother instructed him to leave one slat unpainted. It was a sign
to any passing men that there was work to do at their home.
 |
| The fam in the early 80s |
Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland said, “No love in mortality comes closer to approximating
the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for
her child.”
That
is something I never really comprehended growing up. I knew I had a mother who
cared for and loved me. She helped teach me right from wrong. Along with a
righteous father, she helped raise me in the gospel. She shot baskets with me
in the driveway, came to my ballgames, was a second mom to my buddies and
supported me as a full-time missionary. The bottom line is she was always
there, always there to support me and my siblings.
 |
| Me & baby Aubs |
She
and my dad showed up at our apartment shortly after our first child, Aubrey,
was born with some health issues that required around-the-clock attention. Lori
and I were exhausted. Aubrey eventually gained her full health and strength.
One day as I held her, my mom said to me, “You know how much you love that
little girl? That’s how much I love you!”
It
was a personal epiphany. “Wait, she loved me as much as I loved this little
girl of ours?” My finally eyes were opened in a big way that day to how much
she loved me.
So
as sons and daughters of mothers, what is our duty? What is our call regarding
our mothers? If we’re younger, it is to honor, stand up for and respect our
mothers. It’s also to learn about our moms. Okay, kids & teenagers, what do
you know about your mothers? What were they like when they were your age? What
did they do for fun? Do they have cool, even legendary stories while growing up?
Let me share a little about my mother.
Illena
Robinson was born on November 14, 1932. That’s right, if you do the math,
she’ll turn 90 later this year.
When
she a little girl was in grade school, she and her classmates were playing
baseball on the playground. Her team was up to bat. When it got to be her turn,
a boy came out of the schoolhouse and said it was his turn. Illena said, “No,
it’s not. I’ve been waiting in line with my teammates and now it’s my turn.”
The boy insisted, cut in front of her and said it was his turn to bat. Young
Illena didn’t like it, punched him in the face which sent him back in the
schoolhouse with a bloody nose. The game continued. Later in the game, Illena’s
team was again up to bat and she was in line. When she got up to home plate to
bat, the boy came out of the schoolhouse and again insisted it was his turn to
bat. Young Illena said no. He persisted, “Yes, it’s my turn!” She punched him
in the nose again and sent him back into the school – a classic tale from Holyoak family lore.
Illena
was an athlete. She played basketball in high school, could really smack a
softball and was also good at volleyball.
She
grew up during the Great Depression days in a small town of Glendale in
southern Utah with three sisters. She also had four brothers. One day, one of
her older brothers, playing the role of a taunting big brother said, “I dare
you to punch me in the stomach as hard as you can.” She refused. He continued
to pester and pester her until she finally relented, wound up, slugged him in
the stomach and laid him out on the ground. He never did that again. Apparently
he didn’t know about her playground incident several years earlier. Or he
didn’t learn from it.
More
tales from Mom, in her words: When I was young, we didn't have electricity
in Glendale but our house had been wired for it. When it got dark, mother would
light the coal-oil lamp with its tall chimney and many nights she would read to
us. My mom and dad had an extra bed in their bedroom where we would sleep if we
were ill. I was sleeping in that bed, probably 9 years of age, when all of a
sudden the electricity came on for the first time ever. Probably the only room
in the house where the light switch was turned on. The rest of the family was
in the kitchen eating supper when suddenly the power came on. I remember
calling out, "I see a light!" After that time, mama didn't read
nearly as much since we became involved in playing family games and listening
to the radio in the evenings. Played checkers, monopoly & we would wear out
a deck of Rook cards nearly every winter. It was fun.
In
the winter Farris (her younger
sister) & I would hurry upstairs quickly crawl into bed, cuddle up
together to keep warm. Had so many quilts on the bed it was hard to roll over.
Sometimes, we took a 2-quart fruit bottle filled with hot water wrapped up in a
towel and put it in the bottom of our bed to get our feet warm. Had to remember
to take it back downstairs the next morning so it wouldn’t freeze.
My
grandpa and grandma Robinson, my mom’s folks, had an old ranch house on some
family land about 20 miles from town – a place I loved to visit a lot over the
years, especially as a teenager. |
| The Ranch - with the outhouse just to the left of the house |
Again,
my mom’s words: The ranch house had
no running water or bathroom. Quite primitive or pioneer-like. It was a really
fun place to spend time.
It
had an outhouse out on the hill with a Sears or Wards catalog to use for toilet
paper. The indexes were always used first since it had the softest paper. Every
time I went out there, I would check around the outhouse for rattlesnakes
before going inside. After I got inside the outhouse, I would look down through
the potty holes to make sure there were no snakes underneath.
I
will never forget one time we were hunting rabbits at the ranch. My brothers
wanted me to shoot a rabbit with a shotgun. This shotgun had two barrels and 2
triggers, one for each barrel. I had my finger on the first trigger and my next
finger was between the two triggers. Here came a rabbit so I pulled the first
trigger which pushed my second finger to fire the second barrel also. That gun
recoiled into my shoulder then flipped up in the air. I had a very painful
bruised black and blue shoulder for days. Never shot a shotgun again.
In
1953, my Dad was giving serious consideration to marrying Mom. His words: At
that time, Illena Robinson was 20 years of age, approximately 5 feet 6 inches
tall, with greenish gray eyes, dark brown hair and medium complexion. Illena
was pretty, and possessed a calm, cheerful personality, a nice face and figure,
and one of the most radiant smiles I have ever seen, a smile that seemed to
come straight from her heart and to permeate her whole being.
Mom
was receptive to the Spirit and paid attention when it spoke to her. Her words: In mid-May 1994, I had a strong feeling
that I should not go to the farm in southern Utah but stay here in Wichita so
Dale hurriedly got his clothes, packed up and left for Utah.
Mark
and Lori were living in Topeka, Kansas, at the time. They were expecting their
3rd child due in June. I knew Lori had close friends there so I felt she would
probably be okay and have the help needed. I still had this strong feeling that
I should stay home.
 |
| Mark, Lacey, Aubrey & Lori |
After
I had been home for 2 weeks, I began to wonder why I needed to be here at home.
I knew there was a Hopkins cousins reunion scheduled to be held in St. George
and it would be fun to attend so I went to a travel agency and checked on
flight schedules and flight prices. The schedules and flight prices were both
good but I just couldn’t make myself buy a ticket. As I drove back home I
wondered why I needed to be here. Within half hour after I got home the phone rang
and it was Lori. She asked me what I was doing. I told her, “Nothing.” She
began to cry and told me she had just come home from her doctor’s visit and she
had been put on bedrest. I told her I could come right up there and help. She
said for me to come before noon the next day since that was the time that Mark
would leave for work. Aubrey and Lacey
were little girls so help was needed. I went up and stayed for 2 weeks taking
care of Aubrey and Lacey plus preparing meals. Then went home for the weekend
and while I was gone Jace was born. Went right back up and stayed helping.
I
would also add that Lori was again placed on bedrest three years later before
our fourth child was born – for something like 4-6 weeks and Mom was there
again to help take care of us.
Mom
faithfully served in many callings including helping with Cub Scouts, Relief
Society, Seminary, young women’s and many others including 16 years with my dad
as temple workers in the Oklahoma City Temple.
I
just had the opportunity to spend the last several weeks of one-on-one time
with her in Wichita, Kansas. My dad passed away a few years ago and she was now
at a point to begin the next chapter of her life by moving in with my younger
sister in Texas. First, we had go through her home of 47 years -the home of my
teenage years- empty it out, put it on the market and sell it. We worked hard.
We got COVID together a couple of weeks ago. We slogged through it and got it
done and now she is in Texas. |
| Mom with her guitar in the living room |
 |
| Killing time pounding down salad & break sticks while the house was being shown |
 |
| Disposing of old documents (Man, does she like to burn stuff) |
 |
| The van is packed & ready to go |
 |
| My childhood home...sold! |
Either
this past Christmas or the one before, Lori and I gave her a book of memories
so we could learn more about my mom. It is filled with questions like “describe
what your home life was like,” “write about a favorite family vacation,”
“describe a happy or scary experience,” etc.
So
as sons and daughters of mothers, what is our duty? What is our call? If we’re
older, it is learn about and record their personal histories if they’ve not
done so, and to look after our mothers just as they looked after us. Jesus gave
us the ultimate example how to do so even as he hung on the cross of Calvary.
John 19:25–27 says…
Now
there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the
wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
When
Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he
saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then
saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple
took her unto his own home.
My
mother recently wrote, “My deepest blessing is being a
daughter of my Heavenly
Father, being a daughter of my earthly parents and being a wife, a mother, a
grandmother and a great grandmother.”I
am grateful for my mother.
I
am grateful for the mother of my children.
I
am grateful for many other mothers who helped raised me – Primary teachers, school
teachers, mothers of my friends, YW presidents & youth leaders, and so many
others who were and are good examples to me, my kids and friends.
(Close with personal testimony)
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