An Invaluable Legacy

 This post is a special Extra Edition of the All Things Gratitude blog, in   celebration of the July 24th holiday.  
 Be safe and have a joyful weekend!       

         Throughout the Rocky Mountain west this is a weekend for firecrackers, rodeos and parades.  The Days of 47 are being celebrated--1847, that is, when Brigham Young and a vanguard company of Latter-day Saint pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley and began an earnest contest with the desert to make it "blossom as the rose." 
         Facing months of overland travel on foot, in covered wagons, and later, in hardcart companies, many stalwart believers left behind their former homes, sacrificing businesses, land, families and every imaginable comfort.  With a willingness to endure insufferable cold, hunger, thirst and fatigue they were determined to gather to Zion. Throughout the years of the Mormon Migration (1846-1868), members of these parties lost limbs, had toes amputated, and buried newborn babies and other loved ones on the plains.  But the long trek to their new home was only a part of the trial they faced.  After fording swollen rivers, traversing snow covered plains and slowly making their way through nearly impassable mountains, they would still need to establish a city, create an irrigation system, plant crops, battle swarms of crickets and make peace with the Indians.
         This weekend's Pioneer Day festivities celebrate their sacrifices and the victory of their arrival, yet tell us little of what each individual experienced.  Those very personal stories are contained in numerous diaries and letters, and are written in the hearts of their countless descendants.  Wherever you may live, if you are among that still faithful progeny, thank you!  Thank you for your steadiness and your example.  The legacy your loved ones left, and that you carry on, is a living witness to the world that that some things are worth everything--even our lives, if necessary.  Indeed, yours is an invaluable legacy of faith, industry, sacrifice, and obedience to prophetic counsel.
         In the past 164 years, the sacrifices made have been sanctified as missionaries have gone forth, meetinghouses and temples have been built, and rites of worship are regularly and reverently attended to.  Without question, the religion brought to the valleys of the west, those many years ago, is now blessing all the earth.
         So, this weekend, while we're enjoying the fireworks displays, picnicking in the canyons, marching in parades, or celebrating in any one of thousands of locations around the world, let us remember, with gratitude, those who came before us.  It was their devotion that sparked this annual event, and their sacrifices that have allowed the Latter-day Saints to enjoy so many sacred privileges every day of the year.