PIONEER DAY!

 

I come from Pioneer stock.  

My ancestors on both my mom's and my dad's side of the family came West with the Mormon Pioneers in the mid 19th Century.  That is a fact that I have always been proud of.  My parents both spoke so highly of the stupendous accomplishment their grandparents and great grandparents two or three generations back who pretty much walked the 1,000 plus miles from Illinois to Utah--and some of them did that barefoot!

So, when hard things have happened in my life, I often remarked that I come from Pioneer stock, if they could do hard things, so can I.  And I have often reminded my own children, when they have been in the face of difficulty or are being confronted by challenges that seem overwhelming, with the same reminder of their Pioneer heritage.

Today is PIONEER DAY .  It marks the day the first members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley as emigrants.  That was in 1847.  Their guiding principles continue as the great qualities which have marked sacrifices for countries, families, members of congregations, and for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide.

Though our contemporary challenges are different from those faced by earlier pioneers, many are just as dangerous or difficult, or formidable as were theirs.  Just clothed a little differently.  Here are just a few.

WOLVES:  not prowling animals, but drug dealers, pornographers, and unsavory video and audio experiences in music, movies, and video games.

ILLNESS:  we have the blessings of modern medicine to help cure us from disease and accidents, but we have recently suffered a pandemic which kept the world confined and off-kilter.

PHYSICAL HUNGER:  now we could face spiritual hunger if we choose to listen to the world's rhetoric

WORK:  pioneer children did incredibly hard physical labor to survive their surroundings.  Now many of our children face the ABSENCE of hard work.  This absence has brought about a change in "discipline, responsibility, and self-worth".

And what was it that enabled those early pioneers to wade through so much adversity?  FAITH!

To quote Dallin H. Oaks, "They stepped forward into the unknown:  a new religion, a new land, a new way of doing things....they stood fast against formidable opposition."  Their efforts were part of what made their still fairly new nation great in a unique way, and in turn also changed the world.

Many other great qualities are evident in these pioneer ancestors.  They are a lack of selfishness, unflinching service, cooperative unity, and persistence to continue in the face of adversity as they patiently continued onward mile after mile after mile across the Great American Desert and endured to the end.  They also left a legacy of inclusion:  no one was left behind (they went back for those who couldn't leave initially) and on the trail no day ended until everyone was accounted for--including the stragglers.

As my children were growing up, we looked forward to celebrating Pioneer Day.  It was one of our favorite Nichols Family parties.  We played pioneer games, ate pioneer food on tin plates, wore pioneer clothes, and ate out on our "prairie", then enjoyed favorite pioneer stories and songs around our "campfire".  Sometimes we invited the neighbors who also joined in the fun with a true pioneer spirit. I miss those days with my children and grandchildren celebrating this important occasion.  

Today it is just Louis and I, but I have had a true Pioneer spirit as I reflected on the enduring principles that continue to have a profound effect on how I meet my current challenges.  How blessed I am!

Long live the pioneers...anyone who prepares a way for others to follow!