What Mothers are Teaching Me During the COVID-19 Pandemic

I asked our eight-year-old yesterday what his mother had been teaching him during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, "You know that poster on the wall of our kitchen that says 'Keep calm and carry on'?"

I replied, "Yes, I know it."

"Well," he continued, "that's what I've seen mum do. She is calm and she keeps doing what she needs to do, helping us to do that too."

I asked our son's mother, my wife, what she has been learning from her mum during this season of uncertainty.

"My mum has been practical, getting on with things, not becoming overly concerned with things we cannot change, and remaining upbeat."

I agreed. My mother-in-law has been all that and more.

My own mother passed away two years ago, but she continues to teach me valuable life lessons.

One thing I vividly remember about her, in seasons of normalcy and when times were challenging, was that she focused on communicating.

Chatting with her family members one by one. Sharing a story or a joke. Listening with her heart and her eyes. Giving a word of encouragement and hope, here and there.

She also read. Mainly her scriptures, but also other things. She wanted to know God's word and what was going on around her.

She prayed. I lost count of the times I walked past her room to see her kneeling by her bed talking with her Father in Heaven. Expressing thanks. Asking for help, most likely for someone else. Listening.

She kept a record. Both my mother and mother-in-law are amazing at diary and journal-keeping. Their memories and hearts are expanded by their written accounts of their lives, and their family's.

Lastly, my mother got up off her knees from praying, or from her chair from reading or writing, to do something. Usually for me, another family member, or someone else. She put on her work clothes, a smile, and got busy helping.

I could say similar things about my wife, sisters, sisters-in-law, nieces, and many other women I know.

These are some of the lessons I'm learning or re-learning from mums around me.

How I love these women.

They see things as they really are, prepare well, then act in faith and with kindness to love and lift, wherever they are. In times of peace and calm, and in tougher times like now.

We need them, to show us how to be calm and kind, and to carry on.

Richard Hunter is the communication director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Area.