Pioneer Day

Ok, so I know that Pioneer Day was LAST week, but I'm running right on time with my "running-one-week-behind-schedule" schedule. So it's all good, right?

For those of you who may not know what the significance of July 24th is to all Utah Latter-day Saints (and other Latter-day Saints, too, but mostly the Utah ones), then let me explain: on July 24, 1847, the Mormon pioneers made their way into the Salt Lake Valley after a long and arduous trek across the United States. Their trek was the result of bitter persecutions, and they sought a place where they could be free to establish their families and their religion without being driven from their homes.

Long story short: the pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley and other outlying Utah towns, and they and their families have been there ever since. And to honor their courage and sacrifice, their descendants (and other residents of Utah) throw a huge party every year on the 24th of July.

I found myself in the middle of these festivities last Monday, and as I was sitting watching the parade go by, I kept thinking about the pioneers and all the trials they had to endure, and all the sacrifices they had to make in order for people like me (a mostly-direct descendant of the Mormon pioneers in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies) to be able to live the way I do now and practice my religion without having to worry about the government (among others) trying to kill me and anyone else who believes what I believe. I am truly grateful for the freedoms I enjoy now because of the faith of the Mormon pioneers, and I'm also grateful the heritage and the legacy they have left for me and others.

You don't have to [pull] a handcart,
Leave your family dear,
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer.


You do need to have great courage,
Faith to conquer fear,
And work with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer.

-LDS Children's Songbook, #218


In our own way, we can all be pioneers. It most likely won't be easy, and at times we'll just want to give up. But the blessings will be worth it in the end, and I'm sure our posterity will be forever grateful to us for our courage and sacrifice.

"Happy day! All is well!"