Andrew’s Mother’s Day Speech

The influence of women and mothers.

I am grateful today to be able to celebrate women and mothers. I have been very blessed to have strong and faithful women who have been very influential in my life. Today, I would like to speak about some of the things that I’ve learned for 3 of the most important women in my life. My mother, my sister Tiffany, and my darling wife Maichael.

My Mom - Attending Sacrament Meeting on Sunday

I was born into a wonderful family who had the gospel in their lives and parents who love me, and I’m very grateful for those blessing. At the ripe old age of 6 years old, my parents called myself and my 6 brothers and sister together to announce that they were getting a divorce. At that point in time, I’m pretty sure I didn’t know what divorce was, and I certainly didn’t understand the change it would have in our lives. As we transitioned into this change, we saw our mother less and less. She was a very busy woman trying to take care of 7 kids and work to put food on the table for us. It was difficult for us as kids, and I can’t even begin to fathom what pressure and stress that put on my mother’s shoulders. As time went on, she continued to work long hours and the rest of her time was pretty much spent sleeping, doing church responsibilities, or helping us kids with our needs. She didn’t have the support she should have from my dad to ease her burdens and despite that, we were very blessed as a family.

A lesson that I learned is the importance of going to church every Sunday. Monday through Saturday at the Macey home was hectic, and mom wasn’t around as much as we would’ve liked her to be. Sunday was the day I looked forward to because I knew that I’d be able to be with my mom. My mother was an excellent example of being at home for church on Sunday and also having a family dinner. She once told me that church was something that she couldn’t sacrifice, she needed it too badly.

Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy in his October 2013 conference talk, shared a story about the importance of regular church attendance. He said,
“My father could remember the very day, even the very hour, that his family—father, mother, and four children—left the Church, many never to return again in this life. He was 13 years old, a deacon, and in those days families attended Sunday School in the morning and then sacrament meeting in the afternoon. On a beautiful spring day, after returning home from Sunday morning worship services and having a midday family meal together, his mother turned to his father and asked simply, “Well, dear, do you think we should go to sacrament meeting this afternoon, or should we take the family for a ride in the country?”

The idea that there was an option to sacrament meeting had never occurred to my father, but he and his three teenage siblings all sat up and paid careful attention. That Sunday afternoon ride in the country was probably an enjoyable family activity, but that small decision became the start of a new direction which ultimately led his family away from the Church with its safety, security, and blessings and onto a different path.”
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​I know that there were times that doing something else sounded better and church wasn't what she wanted to do with her free time. I'm sure dragging 7 kids over to the church with you isn't an easy task as a single mother. I will be forever grateful for her decision to make church a priority during her trying times and teaching me the importance of observing Sunday as a day for church.

Tiffany – Remaining Faithful through Trying Times

When I think I resilience, I think of my sister. For much of my childhood, due to my family circumstances, Tiffany acted as a second mother to me and my younger brother. Was this fair to her while she was dealing with her own life struggles of being in Junior High and High School? I would argue that it wasn’t! While in High School, Tiffany was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and lost much of her sight in one of her eyes as well as having to deal with many other health related struggles. I have never once heard my sister complain about the lot that she has been dealt with her health. In addition to this, she lost her son 10 years ago in a tragic accident.

I remember spending a lot of time with her after the accident and she told me that while they were in the hospital room with their son who had passed away, my sister looked at her husband and said something along the lines of, “This is a defining moment for us. We have the choice to believe in Christ and his promises of being with our son again, or to be angry and stop believing in Him.”

I am so grateful to say that she and her husband have chosen to remain faithful and try to rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ and the promises that come through the Plan of Salvation to have hope of being with their son again one day and having their joy restored.

Maichael – Hearing and listening to the voice of the Lord.

Back in 2020, the Prophet President Russell M. Nelson said, “It has never been more imperative to know how the spirit speaks to you than right now…  I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.”

Most of you know my darling sweetheart. She has a beautiful testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. She has been a wonderful example to me of hearing this plea and implementing it in her and our family’s life.

She has so many talents and characteristics that do not come naturally to me. I believe we all have felt the power of the spirit that she brings as she teaches us in gospel doctrine class. I am fortunate to get a view of the hard work and preparation that she puts in to ensure that she is ready for those moments to teach with the spirit. She uses her time and study to do as our prophet has pled with us, and that is, to increase her capacity to receive personal revelation and we are all the beneficiaries of the spirit she brings into those lessons.

She shows this in life outside of teaching as well. Back in 2019 I had a thought come to my mind to move our family to California for work. We had previously discussed the possibility of life in California for our family and had ruled it out. Maichael took time to pray and ponder about the opportunity and received confirmation through the spirit that miracles and blessings were available to us if we moved forward with that prompting. Things worked out, we have now been in California for about 3.5 years and I testify that we have seen miracles and have been richly blessed for choosing this path.

I am grateful for the women in my life who have played the role of mother for me. I have been very blessed to have amazing women and mother figures to look to.

In conclusion, back in 2015, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke about women and motherhood and my testimony echoes his from this statement, “To all the mothers everywhere, past, present, and future, I say, ‘Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.’ To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, ‘Thank you for your crutial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.’ To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle – and all will – I say, ‘Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’ I can pay no higher tribute to anyone.”

This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.