It makes a difference

Mom sometimes gets pretty cranky, especially in the afternoon when Dad and I go to visit and I take off her support stockings, rub her legs, put on slippers, and put in her eyedrops. She's tired and doesn't use any restraint in talking to people. She doesn't hear or see very well and lots of times she thinks she hears or sees things that aren't exactly accurate. But in the mornings, when she is usually well-rested, she's more like herself. This morning before leaving the house I took the time to pray about what to talk to her about, then read some scriptures. I have discovered that the whisperings of the Spirit come when we are immersed in the language of the Spirit. When I am in the temple or reading scriptures, it's not always inspiration about the specific information I'm hearing or reading that I receive. I am somehow more open to "hearing" what the Lord would tell me about something more specific in my life. So I walked over to the nursing home and, after a little conversation with Mom, I opened the scriptures and read a few verses that I had felt prompted to select. She was very humble and contrite. She was much more pleasant to talk to. I could feel the sweetness of the Spirit there (where two or more are gathered in my name, there will I be also). I was able to remind her that she can't get stronger if she doesn't do things for herself. She tends to want to be waited on because she's tired or something hurts or she can't reach it or whatever. Most of the time she is very much like a child. She sometimes is aware that she is behaving badly and admits that she is acting like a child and knows she is NOT a child. But somehow she doesn't have the inner strength to control what she says or does. I know that we all have weaknesses and sometimes we even have weaknesses we just can't seem to overcome. (That can be in the form of an addiction, a personality flaw, laziness, or simple lack of self-control even when we sincerely WANT that control.) The Lord has promised that, for those who seek Him, He will help. He will be on our right hand and on our left. His rod and staff will comfort us.
Now that's a really interesting metaphor. I think I need to study up on exactly how a rod (spare the rod and spoil the child) or staff (used for herding sheep?) can be a comfort. Hmmmmmmm