Lifting, Bending, and Twisting

Lifting, bending, and twisting
Every day in their homes
Each young mother's existing
To find for what she combs

Under the couch and loveseat
Are toys and books and things
Wherever the children meet
With them there's much each brings

Perhaps one day she can rest
While the children remain calm
That even though they are at breast
There's nothing in her palm

As she captures the moment
She sees her best reward
Her precious children are lent
And she is the steward

This world busily demands
And children know this too
Yet, a mother understands
And knows just what to do

There's no more worthy role
Than that of motherhood
And though it takes its toll
She'd striving as she should

She relies on her instincts
As each child's so diff'rent
Though some daily tasks may stink
At home she is content

A child's in need of well-being
While in the formative years
And thus must have a routine
Or are oft found in tears

And so there's times of frustration
As things are overlooked
She makes a correlation
And knows she's overbooked

Each family needs unstructured time
When they can laugh, talk, and play
That's when bonding becomes prime
And shining joys display

Every good thing is brought to pass
By small and simple things
Like moments in photograph
Her legacy is our heart strings

So when a daughter of God's giv'n
A day to spend her way
All her thoughts while away she's liv'n
Are of them- thus, she prays

This is how the church is preserved
And we must give her aid
For while her role is observed
Firm foundations are laid

What's the best use of her spare time?
That she draw from the well
And, that she enrich her life
In what she may excel

M. Russell Ballard
A Daughter of God
May Ensign 2008