Mother May I?

Mother's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays and has come to mean even more to me over time. I have been influenced by so many wonderful women in my life! My mother, my grandmothers, my aunts, mission president's wife, primary teachers, young women leaders and advisers, Relief Society sisters, bishopric wives, teachers, friends, mothers of my friends, and more. All the women in my life have helped me to want to be a better person and have given me strength and courage to face challenges. I am grateful to all of you!

When I was very young I learned to play the game Mother May I? One person was "mother" and the object of the game was to get to her first by asking questions and getting permission to move closer to her. For example "Mother may I take two giant steps toward you?" The person playing "mother" than had to give permission "yes you may." Many of you are probably familiar with this game.

Mother, Scott (red), me (blue)

Today I realize this game was teaching a few lessons. First was to be respectful and ask mother but more importantly, to point my life toward her and her example. I have learned that if I followed her example I would come closer to my Father in Heaven.

"One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrificie, in service, are as one." (Thomas S. Monson,"Behold Thy Mother," Ensign, April 1998)


Pointing my life toward to follow the example of my mother is not so easy because she is remarkable in all that she does but I try.

Mother May I... love as you love?

My mother has such a big heart. I remember her being called to a position in the church and being there when she was going to be set apart. My dad was asked to describe my mother's qualities and he said the biggest one is her charity and love toward others.

There are countless experiences when I would come in the kitchen and find my mother cooking meals, or rolls, or banana bread or other food items to take to families in need. She helped those with new babies, those who were sick, and those who needed comfort. She was always willing and always happy to serve.

Mother May I... play as you play?

My mother loves to have fun and loves to play games. She was always taking time to play games with us as a kid. It didn't matter what the game was she was in. She would play on the floor with us or outside. She could outplay all my brothers in basketball. She rarely said no and was always there to be with us. 

Mother's birthday 2013

Mother May I... sacrifice as you sacrifice?

How can I begin to describe to sacrifices my mother has made and still makes? She is the mother of six children. She devoted all her time and attention and her life to us. She took care of us from the day we were born. I saw my mother made large and small sacrifices from giving up her desserts to satisfy a child to wearing worn out shoes while buying her children new clothes and shoes for school. She was our nurse, cook, chauffeur and so much more. In addition to driving kids to kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school (one time all in the same year) she also took us to our music lessons. Each of took piano lessons and then cello, violin, viola, clarinet lessons. She ran from one thing to the next and somehow still always had a delicious hot dinner ready for us every night. I don't know how she did it. She went through scouting with five sons and managed to come to girl's camp each year with me. When each of her children have been on missions she wrote to us faithfully every week. For me, her letters provided me the strength to keep going. Her life has been spent serving her children.

The Torrie Clan: Dad, Mom, Scott, me, Darren, Jason, Bradley(picture), and John

My mother also serves faithfully in her callings. She has held many positions in the church and always did all that she could. Most importantly to her was to be a faithful visiting teacher. She loved those around her and was always able to make people smile.

Mother May I... testify as you testify?

My mother loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ and has always made sure her children know that she has a testimony. She is never afraid to  share that testimony with others. I remember her always telling me to keep a copy of the Book of Mormon in my car. She says cars run better when there is one inside. There were many times when I have found her on her knees praying or reading her scriptures. She made sure her children were in church each week and never allowed us to wander the halls during Sacrament Meeting. She wanted us to know where we needed to be. She made sure we attended seminary and with my father ensured we had family prayer and scripture study each week.

I feel blessed for the mother I have. She is beautiful inside and out. My goal is to be just like her... Mother may I? 

Love you mom!

BYU graduation 2014 (me and mother)

A Sinner I am: A True Story

Some days when things are tougher than normal it is nice to have something to cheer you up.  Here is a true story of an experience I had while living in Canada.  I daily commuted to work in downtown Calgary via the train system.  One day was particularly memorable.  Here is the account of that day as recorded in an email I sent to my family that day.

"So you are all aware of my daily commutes to and from work on the lovely Calgary C-train. I find there are a few ways a person can endure this travel. The first is to sit there like any good person and stare off into space while in the background hearing each stop listed off and counting down to your stop. Personally, this is not my favorite as the time tends to drag on and by the time you get to your stop you are thoroughly sick of the sweet feminine voice over the intercom. 

"Another way to endure the trip is to simply sleep through it all. This also has its hazards. For example, falling asleep while standing with one arm wrapped around a pole can be dangerous. A sudden stop can cause great head pain, while dozing can cause awkward head movements and neck strain. The general motion of the train also tends to make this uncomfortable. Falling asleep in a seat can also be hazardous. The first worry is sleeping past your stop and ending up on the other side of town. Another danger that may not be considered except by the germaphobes, is the idea of thousands to millions of germs floating around that window that you are so tempted to rest your head against. Well you get the idea about sleeping. 

"A third solution to endure the train ride is simply to bring something to read for as they say "knowledge is power." An hour of reading a day can be a good thing. Since my recent call to be relief society president, Bishop has offered me a list of things to read. First and foremost on the list is The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball. For the last month this has been my book of choice for the duration of my commutes. However, reading this book in public has its hazards. Of course personal space on such trains is non-existent and no one really has anything else to do so they tend to look over your shoulder. With any other book I would not find this a problem, but with this book, such words as you can think of yourself, are slightly uncomfortable to be read by Mister or Misses So-and-So looking over your shoulder.  Luckily, I am now to the last chapter of the book, which I have enjoyed so far, and am simply reading on forgiveness. 

"Well this morning, I followed my daily morning routine: Mom drops me off at the train; I sprint for the train and make it just in time; grab my seat and pull out my book. At one point on the trip, perhaps around Anderson Station, a nice old man got on the train and stood right next to me. I had the seat and he had the swinging hang grip (which I find totally useless as it in no way is able to help steady yourself and only causes severe blood drainage from your hand). I could feel his gaze looking at the book but continued to read on. As our journey continued he got shifted to the seat across the aisle from me. I thought nothing of this as I was thoroughly engrossed in my book. As we approached City Hall Station I put the book away and prepared to make my departure. I glanced over and noticed the man was now staring at me. Trying to ignore this, I stared forward and waited. As my stop was called over the intercom and I stood up, he reached out his hand to me and offered me a pamphlet. The look on his face was sincere concern and encouragement. I looked at him confused but grabbed the pamphlet, mumbled a "thank you," and darted off the train before the doors closed and I would be doomed to wait for the next stop. 

"As I dashed down the street heading to my tower in the sky, I glanced at the pamphlet. The title read, "Abiding in God's Grace." A closer look revealed it is from the Church of God in Christ and describes the fall of Adam and Eve and discusses their sin that now falls to us. It discusses our sins as well as our need to repent and acknowledges our dependence on the Saviour. I actually laughed out loud when I read this, not because I seek to humiliate other churches or their beliefs but for the fact that a good Christian man saw a sinner on a train and wanted to help her out. Hope you have a great morning!"