It's humid today and the heavy air is not only dense with moisture but also with the acrid smell of burning. I hope whatever is on fire is not close to us, or spreading. Grandma and Grandpa are in the backyard heat, presumably constructing a fort, but more accurately building a legacy. They are wonderful, wonderful people. The best sort, really. Buddha is humming on a little, blue harmonica. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture him in overalls and a straw hat, surrounded by fields of wheat grass and closely followed by a beloved dog with tongue lolling and sides heaving in the heat. Bugga's busy little fingers are checking out everything they've been admonished to stay away from, no doubt. And Pip is sleeping blissfully beneath a blasting stream of cool air provided by the hurricane-strength ceiling fan above his bed.
Yesterday was Pioneer Day, the day members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate the entrance of the first Mormon Pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. In honor of Pioneer Day, the boys and I made covered wagons and listened to pioneer songs from
The Children's Songbook. We also watched
Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration and remembered
Legacy, which we had watched some weeks ago. Before going to bed, I pulled out the
July 2011 issue of the Ensign, an LDS Church magazine. In it, there is a wonderful article entitled
"Faith to Answer the Call" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I loved reading the stories Elder Holland shared of pioneers who were called to settle wastelands and their faith in accepting such calls. My favorite quote from the article reads as follows:
"The fundamental driving force in these stories is faith - rock-ribbed, furnace-refined, event-filled, spiritually girded faith that this is the very Church and kingdom of God and that when you are called, you go."
He closes with these words of wisdom and counsel:
"We must have faith in this work - faith in what all believers are called to do, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in our Father in Heaven. We need to conform our will to Theirs and then make that will rock-ribbed and pioneer strong indeed."
And then follows the promise:
"If we do that, I know we will be safe and secure in the inexorable onward movement of the Church and kingdom of God on earth."
Safe and secure. Now that sounds like something I could definitely wrap my hopes around.
1 comment:
I just had the privilege of acting as "Ma" to 10 teenagers, along with my hubby, as we reenacted the Pioneer handcart trek. It was arduous, sweaty, challenging, faith promoting--and I would absolutely do it again in a heart-beat. I love our pioneer heritage. I pray to have that kind of grit, to live my faith through thick and thin. Lovely post you wrote--thank you!!!
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