Posted by:
Laban's Head forgot her password
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Date: November 20, 2011 01:10PM
There are many, many wonderful things about my mother, but here I want to concentrate on her relationship with TSCC.
She was born in Idaho Falls, ID in 1920. Her parents were not Mormons. Most of her cousins were Catholic. So she was raised with religious diversity. She married my father who was a Mormon, but had stopped being involved when he left home to go to college. His mother, my grandmother was very active and that was my link to TSCC. She saw to it that my sisters and I were baptized and thus, forever on the rolls of the righteous!
I became active in my early teens and was UBER active. My, mother through all of this came to my programs, attended church when I was giving a talk and even drove a car load of kids to and from early-morning seminary and to the high school during those years. She patiently waited outside the temple with others who loved me when I was married. She came to church when we blessed our babies. She and my dad came to visit us and did without their alcohol, endured condescending instant coffee and smoked outside.
I came to my senses in my 50’s and am happy to report that none of my children or grandchildren are involved in the church. (When my husband died, he was mostly a NOM.) It was only after I left that my mother shared with me her very negative feelings about and experiences with TSCC.
It was then that I realized how truly supportive and selfless she had been all of those years. She supported me completely in something that personally brought her pain. And she had no reason to think that I would ever leave TSCC. She just supported me unconditionally. So much more than the church teaches.
So tonight I will celebrate her 91st birthday with her and we will drink wine and enjoy. And I will be always grateful for the lessons of tolerance, patience, selflessness and unconditional acceptance she taught me.