Mothering Sunday

 Happy Mothering Day!!!!

An online source says:

Mothering Sunday, sometimes known as Mother's Day, is held on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday and usually falls in the second half of March or early April.

Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church, in which they were baptized or where they attended services when they were children. This meant that families were reunited as adults returned to the towns and villages where they grew up. In time, it became customary for young people who were working as servants in large houses, to be given a holiday on Mothering Sunday. They could use this day to visit their own mother and often took a gift of food or hand-me-down clothing from their employers to her. In turn, this moved towards the modern holiday, on which people still visit and take gifts to their mothers.

Yes, today is England's version of Mother's Day.  I didn't realize it until late last night when Dave announced it as the last item on the Saturday evening call.  Don't you love the term "Mothering?"  I think it means that you honor anyone who has mothered you.  I have been mothered by sweet little granddaughters - 4 years old!  I have been mothered by my sweet daughters, but my sisters, by SK's sisters, by dear friends as well as an occasional acquaintance.  And my own dear mother.

I went onto FamilySearch today and like a few other times, snapped a photo of my face and clicked the button.  The results of who I look like are these:

I have found that if I smile, I end up looking like people I don't want to look like!!!!

We attended all our meetings this morning....a beautiful Sacrament Meeting then Relief Society.  But I missed most of Relief Society because first Dave called to talk about a couple of things, and then the sister missionaries called to say they were outside and to ask if I would come down.  There they stood in their coats and scarves...two beautiful young women....with flowers, a card and a little lemon cheesecake!

You can imagine that I was floating around the rest of the day!  How could it get better? It did. SK had a very strong feeling, and called the Bishop to see if we could take the sacrament to Angie.  He gave us permission.  Angie was excited.  Since she was baptized last July, she has only been able to take the sacrament once.  We arranged a time - 3:00 and drove over.  Stan took our little sacrament set. (Thank you Melissa)  She lives in an old building.  The bottom story is a small hardware shop, and if you go around to the back, you climb a very long and slightly treacherous narrow outdoor stairway to her door.  

She was standing in the door when we pulled up.  We walked up and in.  We were all wearing masks.  From inside the apartment, we had to climb another flight to get up to the garret living room/bedroom.  We sat down, listened to a hymn and then SK knelt down to bless the bread.  When he knelt, Angie instinctively dropped to her knees from her chair and bowed her head.  SK proceeded to bless and pass it to us.  Then as he prepared to bless the water, he turned to her and said gently, "You don't have to kneel Angie."  She answered - just as softly - "I know - I just feel like I should."  He blessed the water and passed it.  

With both prayers, he was quite emotional.  Afterwards, we visited for about 20 minutes.  Angie is amazing.  SK loaned her a book about The Book of Mormon by Tad R. Callister.  She has read it three times.  She has read the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she knows the Bible.  She taught a lesson on the Doctrine and Covenants two weeks ago.  Today she bore her testimony to us about the light that has come with the gospel and with her baptism.  It was a holy time there in that little upstairs apartment.

We then returned home for a Zoom conference with other YSA senior missionary couples, and had a great hour and a half visiting and sharing what we are each trying to do while this lockdown still has its grips on the country.

We have been texting back and forth with our young adult reps about Family Home Evening tomorrow.  They are thinking about a movie night.  If they do that, SK and I will deliver popcorn to everyone.  Or maybe pie.  Did you celebrate Pi Day today?

That is tomorrow though, and I will go to sleep thinking about it for now.  We have to be up and out of town with our elders before 7.  We will leave Elder Watford in a town about an hour away from here, and take Elder Bricknell to London.  He will fly out Tuesday.  

And another week has slipped quietly into the past.