Pioneer Day

“It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”

-- Elizabeth Blackwell 

Barren Hills by Lilla Frerichs

What an attitude is that! I feel her enthusiasm popping with her words and it makes me want to sing praises and shout! In Utah today is Pioneer Day, the day we celebrate all of our Pioneer ancestors trekking to settle this desert land. We thank them for their determination and will power that has made this land beautiful. I myself have pioneer ancestors, and I am very grateful for all that they did, pulling a handcart across barren and cold land. I'm certain they did not all share Blackwell's view, at least not at every moment of their hard trek, but I am sure that they must have, at some point or other, felt the same determination, strongly enough to carry them on and complete their journey. Once again, we thank them for all that they did.