A Mother's Day Tribute: "I'll Love You Forever"

Aren't Mother's just the best?  Proverbs 15:20 sums up my thoughts completely on how invaluable and irreplaceable a mother can be in someones life, especially mine - "a foolish man despiseth his mother".  At times, I have been that fool that did not realize how great things really are because of her hard work and unyielding love.

Think on the Savior, Jesus Christ, when he was performing the act of the Atonement.  Who, since he was a babe, was right there beside him, even to the very end?   "And they took Jesus, and led him away.  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him ... Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother ..." (John 19:16-18, 25)

Just as Jesus Christ stands by us, his mother stood by him.  And my mother has always stood by me at all times, and in all places, and in all things.  Even during my own, personal Gethsemane's, her guidance and love has never left.  Indeed, she has "loved me 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 and was called on a mission. He left home and now lives all across the state of Montana, teaching people about Jesus Christ.  But sometimes on dark nights the mother would get out of bed and on her knees.

With all the lights out in the house, she opened her heart to the Lord.  No longer could she crawl across the floor, and look up over the side of his bed. No longer could she tell if he was really asleep or pick him up and rock him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth; like she had always done.  Despite all of this, her song carries on:

 

 I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.