Being a Mother

There's a birthday party my daughter has been invited to on the same day as a baby shower I am invited to. The times don't exactly overlap...except the fact that they are held in opposite directions and far apart from each other. What to do? Who gets to go to their party?
Without my friends, Emily would have lost out. I was a bit stressed out about the situation and my first impulse is to throw in the towel. Granted, I usually try ONE option before feeling this way, but it still isn't a good quality. So, my friends came through to enable attendance at both events.
I'm not one to leave Emily in the care of others. Her couple of near-death experiences in her young life leave me, perhaps, a little overly attached. So, today is not all fun and games. I get to do the "will my child survive without me" routine. I know she will, but I hide myself behind this question. Really, the question is, "will I survive without my child?"
Being a mother completely changes a person. Well, it at least did that to me. There is something that happens after giving birth that increases your capacity to love and care for others.
We watched "Charlie" the day. The first time I watched the movie, it did NOT affect me at all. However, being a mother, now I can't watch the movie without choking on my tears and emotions. It's the same feeling when I see people at the exits from the interstate with their signs. I tear up and practically suffocate on the situation. I can't help but thinking, "That's someone's mother/sister/daughter. How sad they are alone in this moment and seeking assistance from strangers!" I try to give some kind of help whenever I can, but it never alleviates that powerful emotion.
I know our Heavenly Father must experience a similar emotion as He watches all of us in this world. How do we treat our own family? How do we treat our extended family? How do we treat our friends and neighbors? How do we treat the strangers we have encountered? How do we respond to strangers we have never met and yet they need our assistance? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about teaching us to learn to love. It's just that being a mother helps me to get on the "fast track" to understanding the "whys" about love and true charity (the love of Christ). I'm so grateful to be a mom and to be on this path of trust that the Lord has given me.