Shauna's YMOY Speech

February 6, 2010
The YMOY nominees across the nation were given the same speech topic: Motherhood: What Legacy Will I Leave? I thought about it (incessantly) for days, researched the word "Legacy", and then surprisingly, the speech came together quickly in one day. (I didn't memorize it that quickly, though!) Here it is.

Motherhood: What Legacy Will I Leave?

“Let’s play making dinner!” a little girl called to the other children in our church nursery play area.
“Okay!” My then three year old daughter, Sophia, responded.

As the little girl proceeded to get out the play kitchen bowls and mixing spoons and organize them on the counter, my (as it turns out—very observant) daughter said, “Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s ready!” and pulled out a plastic plate from the toy microwave oven.

I admit it. I am not the best cook in the world, I’m not even the best cook in my own home . . . I’m probably fifth out of seven. . . and that includes my children who aren’t old enough to turn on the stove.

I’m also not the best homemaker in the world. Once, to my delight, while visiting my mother-in-law, my four-year-old son said, “I’ll clean off the table for you, Grandma.” And then to my horror, I had to fish out three china dinner plates from the trash can . . . because that’s where a lot of the used dinner plates from our house belong.

There are lots of things I’m not the “best” at. There are lots of things I’m not even very good at . . .
But, I’m a really good “try-er.”

Charles Dickens said,
"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart do to it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely, in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest."

I may not be the BEST at anything, but I am “thoroughly in earnest” about being a mother. I have devoted myself completely, in great aims and in small . . .
And it isn’t easy. Motherhood is hard. But, I keep trying.

I’m trying to leave my children a legacy. A legacy is something precious that you give to someone you love. It is something that keeps you alive—at least to your loved ones—even after you are gone.

Dr. Howard Thurman, former dean of Theology at Boston University, said,
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because the world needs . . . people who have come alive.”

Being a mother makes me come alive. Motherhood is discovery, adventure, disappointment, forgiveness, sorrow, thankfulness, pain, joy, love.

This precious thing—this LEGACY—I can leave to my loved ones is my life and my earnest efforts to become the best mother I can be. And hopefully, my efforts to come ALIVE –to be what the world needs—will inspire them to come alive—to keep trying, in great aims and small . . . to do hard things . . . to be what the world needs.

Note: the pictures is from our Dunn Family Reunion in Nauvoo. Sophia's friend, Gabby, is the extra family member.