mothers--CJP

Motherhood is on my mind almost all the time now. Obviously. This year's Mother's Day will be unique in my life, because never again will I be almost a mother but not quite yet. I'm highlighting mothers in my life this week in the hope that I can learn from them how to mother my own babe and family.

{Grandma and the Wood girls circa May 2008}

CJP is short for Charlotte Jane Petersen, my grandmother and namesake. I lived just blocks away from my grandparents my entire childhood and adolescence; my formative years would be completely different without my mom's parents.

When I was young, I would have sleepovers at Grandma's, and while I eagerly anticipated the Shirley Temple movies and decadent breakfasts, my favorite part was chatting. Instead of a bedtime story, we would sit in her bedroom and chat. I don't remember many conversations from when I was a child, but I do remember the topics of those chats as I grew older.

In high school and when I'd come home from college, I'd sit in Grandma's kitchen and chat with her. I could talk with her about anything--school, friends, boys, jobs, the gospel. While not all of our conversations explicitly focused on Christ, and even though I may not have recognized it at the time, during our countless conversations her own relationship with Christ was making an indelible imprint on my own soul.

Grandma taught me that it's our privilege and gift to have a very personal relationship with our Savior. The open and unfettered way she spoke of Christ indicated a developed, honest, and trusting relationship with her Savior. Christ was very much a part of her every day, very much a part of her role as wife, mother, friend., and disciple. She radiated a countenance like unto her Redeemer, and she was beautiful for it.

She passed away two years ago, and though we're separated for a time, I believe that she is with my babe now, teaching him the vital importance of coming to know your Savior.

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As a mother I seek to deepen and refine my relationship with Christ and live that relationship and testimony for my family.