HAPPY VALENTINES TO ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN THE FAMILY

Sister Julie B. Beck said, "What is a mother heart and how is oneacquired? We learn about some of those qualities in the scriptures. Toparaphrase Proverbs: 'Who can find a . . . woman [with a motherheart]? for her price is far above rubies. . . . She . . . workethwillingly with her hands. . . . With the fruit of her hands she planteth avineyard. . . . She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. . . . Strength andhonour are her clothing. . . . She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and inher tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of herhousehold, and eateth not the bread of idleness' (Proverbs 31:10, 13,16, 20, 25-27). A woman with a mother heart has a testimony of therestored gospel, and she teaches the principles of the gospel withoutequivocation. She is keeping sacred covenants made in holy temples. Hertalents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education asher circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desireto teach what she learns to the generations who follow her."If she has children, she is a 'goodly parent' (see 1Nephi 1:1) who lives and teaches standards of behavior exactly in line withthe teachings of living prophets. She teaches her 'children to pray,and to walk uprightly before the Lord' (D&C 68:28). Rather thanlistening to the voices and partial truths of the world, she knows thatgospel standards are based on eternal, unchangeable truths. She believesthat to be 'primarily responsible for the nurture of [her]children' is a vital, dignified, and 'sacredresponsibilit[y]' ("The Family: A Proclamation to theWorld," Liahona, Oct. 1998, 24; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). To nurtureand feed them physically is as much an honor as to nurture and feed themspiritually. She is 'not weary in well-doing' and delights toserve her family, because she knows that 'out of small thingsproceedeth that which is great' (D&C 64:33)."( "A 'Mother Heart,' " Ensign, May 2004, 75-76)