For my Mother

My mothers passed on, it's sad, but it's true.
She sent me an angel, she sent me you.

It comes through a smile, it comes through a hug
She finds me my angels to bring me her love.

I know she is there by kinds words that you say.
She sends you along to brighten my day.

I see her in, the kind look in your eyes.
I know she is watching, she's very close by.

Sometimes she comes through a word of advise.
I know she is helping, she's just so precise.

Sometimes it's your thoughts or kind deeds that you do.
It's mom's way of saying, " Don't forget, I love you!"

So it's your curly hair, and it's you thoughtful phrase
That help me along on the loneliest of days.

It's in your profession, and in your demeanor.
Sometimes, although fleeting, it's just like I've seen her.

I feel her nearby with the smile that you give.
I know she is there, by the good way you live.

She wants me to be happy, not having it end.
My mother made sure, I have angel friends.

I find her in places that I never would have thought
So for my sweet mom, I'll do what I ought.

I pass it along a brighten a day.
I share my example in my own special way.

I can be someones angel, a friend for someone in need.
Maybe I bring it, by word or just a small deed.

I do this because I love to share.
By my mothers example, she'll always be there.

For now, while I'm living I'll do my small part.
Touch a life of another, impact someones heart.

And maybe someday I can be an angel for you
Sent for a reason, when you're feeling blue.

Why can't we all decide to be angel friends?
Helping each other through to the end.

So here is my challenge, this ones for my mother.
Find someone to help... a friend, neighbor or brother.

Mom, I sure miss you but, your legacy lives on.
I hope since you've taught me, your service lives on!

Charayne Herrmann Simister

I have had this poem bouncing around in my head for the past couple of days. It still needs a bit of tweaking, but I wanted to get it written down somewhere. I felt that since today was Mother's Day it was appropriate. I love my mom so much. I miss her enormously, but I hope that through the way that I live and the things she has taught me that her legacy will live on. I know she loves me and wants me to be happy and I am so thankful for the atonement in my life, to know that I will be able to see her again someday. I want to be the type of mother that she was. I hope I can be. I feel so blessed to have three little angels of my own. I hope that they will love and admire me as much as I do my own mother.
Today was such a special day. Rylan brought home a "surprise" from school on Friday and hid it until today. His excitement was so charming and cute. He made me a bracelet from colored beads, and also brought home a sunflower that he started growing at school. He informed me that there were lots of flowers to choose from, but that he picked a sunflower. He also gave me a little poem with his hand print on it.
Alana, had a program on Thursday. All of the mom's got to come and hear the kids sing. She was so cute, she was so excited that I was there to hear her sing. She kept waving and blowing me kisses.
I remember giving these kind of gifts as a kid and having my mom say that they were the best. As we got older, we wanted to spend money and buy her things, but she still loved the thought and the homemade stuff the best. That baffled us as kids for a long time, but now as a mother I totally understand how important those things are. How much the little things mean. It seems like things have been going by really fast lately. I am very busy most days. My kids get bigger every second. I guess I'm sentimental, but I know that these things are little treasures.
I want my kids to know how thankful that I am to be a mother. To be their mother. To have this opportunity to raise them, to snuggle them, to teach them. I hope they know and can feel my love for them, because just as my mother has passed on, someday I shall also. I hope they will always have that knowledge in their hearts!
I am so thankful for a good husband, who helped me become a mother. He treats me good and thinks so much about me. He was so thoughtful this year and got me a kindle, so that I could read my scriptures and other books easier. Today has been a really good day.

The best gift

Last night I went to our Relief Society Christmas Program. It was wonderful!!! It couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Lately I have been thinking about simplifying and making Christmas more Christ centered. I don't want my children to think that Christmas time is about gifts and things (all though that is one fun part) but I want them to truly understand the real meaning of Christmas. As I have been thinking about this my thoughts turn to my mom. Since 2 years ago this time she was sick. I want my Christmas to be more focused on Christ, helping others and giving.
The reason that it couldn't have come at a more perfect time, is because the person that spoke was a lady named Patti Epperson. She was an amazing speaker and talked about a personal experience that she had. How she was able to cope with the changes that it made in her life. She referenced a talk by Elder Wirthlin. This is my favorite part of it, which is why it couldn't have come at a more perfect time....

In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived—the just and the unjust.⁶

When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the firstfruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world's history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.

I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him.

After the Resurrection, the disciples became renewed. They traveled throughout the world proclaiming the glorious news of the gospel.

Had they chosen, they could have disappeared and returned to their former lives and occupations. In time, their association with Him would have been forgotten.

They could have denied the divinity of Christ. Yet they did not. In the face of danger, ridicule, and threat of death, they entered palaces, temples, and synagogues boldly proclaiming Jesus the Christ, the resurrected Son of the living God.

Many of them offered as a final testimony their own precious lives. They died as martyrs, the testimony of the risen Christ on their lips as they perished.

The Resurrection transformed the lives of those who witnessed it. Should it not transform ours?

We will all rise from the grave. And on that day my father will embrace my mother. On that day I will once again hold in my arms my beloved Elisa.

Because of the life and eternal sacrifice of the Savior of the world, we will be reunited with those we have cherished.

On that day we will know the love of our Heavenly Father. On that day we will rejoice that the Messiah overcame all that we could live forever.

Because of the sacred ordinances we receive in holy temples, our departure from this brief mortality cannot long separate relationships that have been fastened together with cords made of eternal ties.

It is my solemn testimony that death is not the end of existence. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."⁷ Because of the risen Christ, "death is swallowed up in victory."⁸

Because of our beloved Redeemer, we can lift up our voices, even in the midst of our darkest Fridays, and proclaim, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"⁹

When President Hinckley spoke of the terrible loneliness that comes to those who lose the ones they love, he also promised that in the quiet of the night a still, unheard voice whispers peace to our soul: "All is well."

I am grateful beyond measure for the sublime true doctrines of the gospel and for the gift of the Holy Ghost, which has whispered to my soul the comforting and peaceful words promised by our beloved prophet.

From the depths of my sorrow, I have rejoiced in the glory of the gospel. I rejoice that the Prophet Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the gospel to the earth in this last dispensation. I rejoice that we have a prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who directs the Lord's Church in our day.

May we understand and live in thanksgiving for the priceless gifts that come to us as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and for the promise of that bright day when we shall all rise triumphant from the grave.

That we may always know that no matter how dark our Friday, Sunday will come is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

For me this was perfect, because at this time of year I not only think of my mom, someone who was very important to me, but also of my Savior, the person that gave his life, so that I might be able to live, partake in the atonement and be able to live with those I love again.
We were encouraged to read the Book of Mormon and every time "Christ" was referenced, to mark it. At the end of the year we are supposed to look back at the number of times our Savior is mentioned and see that the Book of Mormon is truly another Testament of Christ.

What a great reminder of Christ and the fullness of the Atonement at this time of year!!!!

Sail Baby

For some reason, I just love lullabies. There is a particular one that my mom taught me when Rylan was little. She would always sing it to him, and then I learned it. Often times we would both sing him to sleep. When Alana was born we would sing it to her as well. I still find myself singing it, now to Kelton. I just sing it. I didn't even know the name of it or anything. I just sung it because my mom and I would sing it together. I love the song, so I finally decided to find out what the name of it was. I found out that it's called Baby's Boat or Slumber Boat. I am so fond of this song and I can still hear my mom singing it. I enjoy singing it to my babies and rocking and snuggling them. I am going to post the lyrics. I guess this song has been around for a while, I hope that me singing it to my kids will keep the tradition going and maybe someday they will sing it to their kiddos also. I sure wish that I could ask my mom where she learned it. Maybe I will have that opportunity someday. Maybe I find it irresistible because it reminds me of my mom, but I hope you adore the lyrics as much as I do. The words and melody are really beautiful....

Baby's boat's a silver moon

Sailing o'er the sky

Sailing o'er a sea of sleep

As the stars go by.

Sail, baby, sail

Out across the sea

Only don't forget to sail

Back again to me.

Baby's fishing for a dream

Fishing near and far

His line a silver moonbeam is

His bait a silver star

If you find that dream so fair

Happy may it be

This will always be my prayer

May God watch over thee.

Sail, baby, sail

Out across the sea

Only don't forget to sail

Back again to me.

There is some variation in the lyrics, but you get the idea. What are some of your favorite lullabies? If you have one, I would love for you to share it with me. Enjoy and sweet dreams!
Here are some great websites if you are interested in songs for babies and kids:
http://www.kididdles.com (You can listen to the song on this site)
http://www.englishplaynow.com
http://bussongs.com/songs
http://www.lullabyisland.com/home.php?pg=songs

Sorry...just one more thing. Apparently there is a book by Jeanne Titherington.I want to check it out too. It has a really good rating on Amazon.com. Perhaps I will put it on my wish list. :)

Tribute to an Amazing Woman

Today I would like to pay tribute to an Amazing woman--My Mom! Today is my mother's birthday, and since she isn't here to celebrate with us, I just wanted to reflect on the wonderful person she was.
My mom was remarkable, because she would always think of others before herself. She was always serving someone. She often times went with out so others had something extra. She loved to see the joy it brought to other peoples lives. One example of this was when she was really sick in December and was struggling with pain. I had a hair appointment and I told her where I was going. When she found out I had an appointment, she offered to watch the kids for me (even though I had already found a sitter.)

She was a hard worker. My mom worked extremely hard. She made sure the job got done and she gave a 110%. She could work harder and faster than most people 20 years younger than her.

She was smart, and knew what was important in life. Her love was for the gospel and her family. She epically loved playing with the grand kids! She was the most incredible grandma out there. She was always doing fun projects and outings with the kids. She would find out about neat places to take them or special events happening in town. (I didn't have to ask her to watch them, she would just volunteer) she would come home with special surprises, toys and clothes for them.

She was the best mom to me, she taught me what was right and let us kids do most things. Most of all she was the best friend a daughter could have.

She was a phenomenal cook and baker. She made the most delicious things to eat! She loved trying new recipes and many of them would be "keepers". Some of my best recipes came from my mom.

Mom always liked to find a deal, and she would happen upon some real steals. She found the coolest things and loved turning trash into treasure. She would find neat things everywhere and people would always ask her where she found different things.

Words cannot describe the many ways she was truly incredible. I can't wait to see her again! Since our family tradition has always been going out to dinner for family birthdays, with the birthday person picking the restaurant, we decided to celebrate for mom's birthday upholding the family tradition. We picked Chuck-a-Rama (since my mom liked going there) and we all had a nice dinner as a family. I think she would be pleased that we were all together.

I miss her a lot. She was fantastic and I want to aspire to have all of her great qualities. I am thankful to have had such a wonderful mother and friend!