One of the fun things about Utah is that they celebrate the 24th of July. And although I've lived in Utah on and off for five years, somehow I've never actually been in Utah for this celebration. Well here I am! It's great: a holiday in the middle of the week. I love it.
When I was 9 or 10 I remember thinking that I had been born in the wrong century. I wished so strongly that I could have been a Pioneer. The idea of camping under the stars, cooking outside and doing the washing in the creek, walking in the sun all day long, while all along being headed toward a promised land was very appealing to me (the majority of these daydreams I do believe, occurred during math class...in particular the loathsome fractions unit).
Well according to Dalling H. Oaks, I can be a pioneer. I've been collecting quotes recently (and I have to say, Dallin H. Oaks says things so eloquently) and I really liked this one:
"It is not enough to study or reenact the accomplishments of our pioneers. We need to identify the great, eternal principles they applied to achieve all they achieved for our benefit and then apply those principles to the challenges of our day. In that way we honor their pioneering efforts, and we also reaffirm our heritage and strengthen its capacity to bless our own posterity and 'those millions of our Heavenly Father's children who have yet to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ' (Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [1996], 145). We are all pioneers in doing so." (Dallin H. Oaks, "Following the Pioneers," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 72)
Some of the great and eternal principles that I thought of were these: weigh the price, and decide if what you're doing is really worth it; when something's right don't hesitate, just do it; and once you've made all of these decisions, constantly press forward no matter what.
How great that I can still be a pioneer; it's not really in the way that I longed for 15 years ago, but sharing what I know with others has proven to be a pretty great way to be a pioneer.
4 comments:
I am glad you get to be there for the 24th of July! Thanks for making me feel more like a pioneer too!
Love you!
Were you in that picture? I don't think I was ever there either, although they celebrated it in Montana! I always love that holiday.
Whenever I read The Little House Books I wish I had been a pioneer. What a great tribute to a holiday EVERYONE should celebrate.
I just borrowed the picture from another internet site...I really need to invest in a digital camera!
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