Mother of Mothers

I am finding that I absolutely love being a part of the Young Women's program.  I thought that Jessica and I would be stressed out having this time together, but we are both enjoying it. 

Today wouldn't have been complete without a Christmas lesson.   The YW leaders were each given a different section of Jeffrey R. Holland's talk from 1977 to read.  As a mother, I found myself very touched by his description of Mary.

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“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and [she] wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and [she] laid him in a manger.” (Luke 2:6–7; italics added.) Those brief pronouns trumpet in our ears that, second only to the child himself, Mary is the chiefest figure, the regal queen, mother of mothers—holding center stage in this grandest of all dramatic moments. And those same pronouns also trumpet that, save for her beloved husband, she was very much alone.

I have wondered if this young woman, something of a child herself, here bearing her first baby, might have wished her mother, or an aunt, or her sister, or a friend, to be near her through the labor. Surely the birth of such a son as this should command the aid and attention of every midwife in Judea! We all might wish that someone could have held her hand, cooled her brow, and when the ordeal was over, given her rest in crisp, cool linen.

But it was not to be so. With only Joseph’s inexperienced assistance, she herself brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in the little clothes she had knowingly brought on her journey, and perhaps laid him on a pillow of hay.
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As I think of Jesus this Christmas Season, I'm also thankful for the love and labor of Mary - the Mother of Mothers.  Thank you, Sister Zollinger for giving such a beautiful Christmas lesson today.