Love You Forever

Today is Mother’s Day in the U.S and I would like to wish my mother, the mother of my children, and the mothers of my grandchildren a happy Mother’s Day by sharing a favorite story by Rober Munsch called “Love You Forever”

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.  If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

A Mother’s Love

One of the themes throughout the Harry Potter books is the importance of the love that a mother has for her children. Dumbledore tells Harry that it is because of strength of the love his mother had for him, Voldemort was not able to kill him when he tried. He said:

 “Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mothers for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

In addition to Lily we have several other mothers that J.K. Rowling includes in the series that provide great examples.

1.      Narcissa Malfoy

Narcissa risks her own life to protect her son, Draco, as the battle for Hogwarts concludes and Harry battles Voldemort. It is Narcissa that approaches Harry’s lifeless body to see if he is alive or dead. When she realizes that he is alive she asks if Malfoy is alive and Harry whispers that he is and is. She knows that the only way to save him is to get him to safety, so she tells everyone that Harry is dead and in the midst of their celebration she leaves to find him.

2.     Augusta Longbottom

Augusta Longbottom is Neville’s grandmother. After the death of his parents, Neville is raised by Augusta. Neville often talks about how his grandmother has always been an enemy to Voldemort and his followers and fights for what is good and right. She is one of the few that come to Hogwarts as the battle is raging. She is the last to come through the tunnel from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts and she seals the tunnel so no one else can get through it into the castle. When she asks where Neville is, they tell her that he is inside fighting and she leaves the others to join in the fight with her grandson.

3.     Molly Weasley

Besides Lily, I think the strongest example of the love of a mother is found in Molly Weasley. Molly is always there when her children need her. She adopts Harry as one of her own and is his protector. With only the love a mother has Molly, teaches, corrects, and disciplines Harry along with her own children. She is there when Fred is killed, she is in the middle of the fight for Hogwarts, and charges in when Jenny is in danger and is the one to kill Bellatrix.

The scriptures and modern revelation also testify of the importance of the mothers in our lives. In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” it states:

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another… Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”

In Alma we read of the 2000 stripling warriors were protected because their mothers taught them to have faith in Jesus Christ and that he would preserve them. Heleman wrote to Captain Moroni that it was this faith that saved them saying they did not doubt they would be safe “because their mothers knew” (Alma 56:48)

The scriptures are full of examples of the power of righteous mothers. There is Eve, the first mother; Sarai, the mother of Isaac; Mary, the mother of Jesus; Sariah, the mother of Nephi; Lucy, the mother of Joseph Smith, and many others.

We must never forget how important our mothers are. Heavenly Father has given us our parents the responsibility of helping us return to his presence and it is our mothers that have the greatest influence in making sure that happens.

Your comments and question are welcome and would that if you agree with what I have written to please share this with your social friends and family.