This is a poem, published in the July Ensign. In the Ensign it is hand written over a lovely photo of covered wagons descending into a valley. I wanted to print that painting with the poem, actually I wanted the poem to show up as it was printed, hand written. So, please imagine this in cursive, over a golden painting with a cluster of wagons descending into a valley.
Our Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake valley on July 24th, 1847. July 24th has been celebrated as pioneer Day ever since. They had been driven out of their homes, again and again. This was to be their sanctuary, a place they could live without persecution. And so it has been--this valley, this Utah. Now our modern day pioneers live all over the world, each facing challenges, daily, weekly, yearly, like all people everywhere, and when they take a second or third breath, regroup and remember the promise of the Savior, they rejoice.
Lisa South, “The Journey,” Ensign, Jul 2008, pg. 27
They began
And rejoiced—
Buried tiny bodies in shallow graves,
Wept, and began again.
They entered the valley
With joy—
Beat crickets off their vanishing crops,
Starved, wept, and began again.
They built their homes
With gladness—
Prepared them for burning against an approaching army,
Wept, and began again.
They endured to the end.
They set the example.
Fighting our own crickets and armies,
We weep, remember, begin again—
And rejoice.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Well this poem reminded me of this proverb that I just read about 30 seconds before visiting...
It's not good for all of our wishes to be fulfilled. Through sickness, we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.
- Greek
so I am thinking that these lessons were very well learned by those that settled.
I loved this poem, too, when I saw it in the Ensign. We need to remember that adversity is the way we grow and how we face it is the way we will be remembered (or not).
Beautiful!! And I had no problem picturing it as you described. It makes me want to frame it on my wall.
Post a Comment