"How oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings" (3 Nephi 10:6)

I have to admit that I have often wondered if being a mother is enough. I do a lot of cooking, a lot of laundry, a lot of driving children all over, to, and from places. I do a lot of things that get absolutely no praise or thanks, but a lot of exhaustion at the end of the day. Pondering this roll of motherhood, the powerful doctrine that all women are mothers whether they have had children or not is taught as Eve was called the "mother of all living" before she gave birth to children  (Genesis 3:20; Moses 4:26). It is more than just cooking, driving, doing laundry and all the mundane things that seem to crowd out some of the power that comes with doing these essential tasks that keep a family going, that make a house a home and a group of people a family. Let me try and explain through a personal experience this week.

I usually am pretty good at making dinner and making sure we eat together as a family. This week, one day I failed to plan and when I got home from a meeting that had been for our children, it was already dinner time. I decided we would have leftovers or everyone could have cereal. Everyone was fine with this. My request was that we eat together. Well, time went by and family members got their various food options and proceeded to eat them as they heated up, or completed whatever task they were working. We didn't eat together. I was kind of bummed that we missed out on that family time. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I did. There was no gathering.

As a mother, meal time, cooking, even if it is just cold cereal, is about gathering. Gathering is an essential doctrine that Christ teaches. "O ye house of Israel who I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart" (3 Nephi 10:6 (4-6), D&C 10:65, Luke 13:34). Christ gathers His covenant people, His children, "as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings". As a mother, I gather my family each night around our dinner table to protect and strengthen my loved ones. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of the Lord, taught this about gathering together for dinner: "The number of those who report that their whole family usually eats dinner together has declined 33 percent. This is most concerning because the time a family spend together eating meals at home is the strongest predictor of children's academic achievement and psychological adjustment. Family mealtimes have also been shown to be a strong bulwark against children's smoking, drinking, or using drugs. There is inspired wisdom in this advice to parents: what your children really want for dinner is you" (Good, Better, Best).

Gathering is part of my role as a mother. It's not just about cooking or cleaning. But about gathering my loved ones about me, just as Christ gathers His loved ones, "For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts; Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely" (D&C 10:65-66). The roll of a mother is enough and so much more. The world just doesn't see it as He does, and as I am continuing to learn to see and cherish. Gathering, this I testify, is part of the power, strength, and responsibility of being a mother.