O! Pioneers!

In the LDS faith,
July 24th is a special day--
it's celebrated because that's the day
the pioneers arrived into the Salt Lake valley,
after many months of walking and walking and walking and walking--
it's the day Brigham Young said something like
"This is the place."
and all those with him said,
"Finally!"
I'm just kidding, I don't know what the others said,
but that's definitely what I'd have said if I'd been there.

Or maybe I'd have said something else like,
"Ya sure? there's awhole lotta nuthin' down there."
But then again, I hear Brigham Young was a force to be reckoned with,
so I probably woulda just been relieved to have the journey over with
and kicked off my walkin' shoes.

Those early pioneers paved the way
for thousands of others seeking religious freedom.
Their names are honored and revered in the Church so much,
that I wonder if any of those early pioneers had a single flaw.

You know what I mean?


My family tree doesn't have pioneers on it.
I'm a convert to the LDS faith,
so for all I know,
my ancestors coulda harassed the saints all
along the way.
Who knows.

Actually, my maternal grandmother's family is from
"Great Britain"--
Grandma didn't say
"the UK"
or
"the United Kingdom"--
it was always "Great Britain".

And that's all I know about her.
Oh and her name was Fannie Mae.
Not even kidding.
Fannie Mae Murphy.

My paternal grandfather's family were from the Southern US--
and as far as I can tell,
nothing but gamblers and moonshiners on one side
and bible-thumpers on the other.
Definite potential there for some "Mormon Persecutors".

I really don't have a clue about them.
Ancestry.com hasn't revealed anything either.

But as far as I do know,
the first member of the LDS Church
on my family tree
is
Me.

My first husband's family tree is covered
with Mormons...
and they can trace their roots to both Brigham Young
and Joseph Smith.
You wouldn't know that to look at them--
but it's true.
They claim that Zina D. Huntington Jacobs Smith Young
is a matriarchal figure in their family tree.
I've read as much as I can find on Zina,
and her life reads quite interesting.
It's more than I want to share here,
but all that has been written of her goodness and faithfulness
was hard-earned and she deserves every bit and more of the praise given.
Once, many years ago,
my former in-laws said I didn't deserve to be a "Johnson"
because I was a convert to the Church.
Their pedigree was a source of pride for them.
Those words cut sharply
as they were meant to.
Simply being born and raised into the LDS faith
apparently elevated them above others,
in their minds.
They hadn't crossed the plains,
they hadn't been asked to sacrifice anything to be members,
yet they got the privilege of claiming a heritage
that was hard-earned for their ancestors.
And somehow, my own sacrifices--
that of being thrown out of my parent's house
with the clothes on my back,
and severed family ties
for joining the LDS church
wasn't enough to be considered "deserving" of a family name.

That is messed up, isn't it?
Yeah, I miss them more than I can say.

Last night, at midnight, our Stake here in Colorado Springs,
loaded up all of the youth
who wanted to go,
and headed up to Wyoming
so the kids could participate in a Mormon Pioneer Trek.
They're sporting pioneer clothing,
will be pulling loaded handcarts for twenty-five miles
over the same terrain that Brigham Young led those early pioneers over.
The kids will sleep in tents,
sing pioneer songs,
and hopefully,
come to a better understand and appreciation for their pioneer heritage,
so that when it comes to their own trials in life,
they will have the fortitude and conviction to their faith
to stay true to the Gospel and enjoy the blessings thereof.

I went up to the Chapel last night
and helped the kitchen brigade load
forty-four coolers of food for the trekkers' lunch today.
Into each cooler went:
9 frozen capri suns (there's plenty of water available, so this was extra)
9 handmade sub sandwiches
9 apples
9 bags of chips
9 rolls of Starburst
and 9 napkins.
And lotsa love--
there were many hands working together.

Each youth going was assigned into a "family"--
tho' none are really related,
and then the "families" were assigned into a
"Company"...
just as Brigham Young organized the trek
back in the day.

As I finished up in the kitchen,
it was time to go and leave Daisie
there
in her red bonnet,
long cotton skirt and apron
and white cotton top.
I gave her a big hug and reminded her of her pioneer heritage--
"When you get tired and hot,
think of Zina.
When you're wondering why
you signed up for this in the first place,
remember her footsteps are in that piece of earth.
Take heart and courage from knowing that she too,
did something hard.
It will make you feel better.
Be a blessing to others on the trail, just as Zina was..
I bet she never imagined her posterity--YOU-- would willingly travel
that way just so you could appreciate her more.
And surely,
she will be smiling down on you, Sis."

Hugs and kisses and then out the door I went.

When I came home last night,
I wondered to myself if Zina appreciates me;
appreciates my efforts to teach my children the same gospel
she converted to at the age of 14--
nearly the same age I was when I converted at 15.
And tho I did not travel her ways,
or go thru her trials,
I have gone thru my own to take my place in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I wondered if my efforts were enough?

A good friend told me a few years ago,
that while I may not have a pioneer pedigree,
I am a Pioneer in my own right,
and someday,
my posterity will hold my name with honor.

Today, right now, I'm sitting here
thinking about my daughter on the Mormon Trail
in Wyoming.
I'm hoping she is having a great time.
Praying that it's not too hot,
that her feet don't hurt,
and that she's looking at the dirt beneath her feet
and thinking of Zina.