two years ago, with the help of my mom, i made a pioneer dress, packed my toothbrush, sunscreen and first-aid kit in a bucket {that doubled as a chair} and went to pioneer trek to be the ma to nine teenagers.
i would go into further detail about our trek, but on the scale of pioneer treks from a cake walk to brutal abuse, ours was definitely closer to eating cupcakes... but still full of physical and spiritual growth.
highlights of the trek included:
an afternoon at martin's cove. i cannot fully express what it was like to be there in part reenacting their journey in the exact same spot. there was a sweet reverence in that little cove.
leading the womens pull. wow. {not going to lie, i still can't talk about without tearing up a little bit.} i had three 12 year old girls with me, the biggest of which probably weighing about the same as a cabbage patch doll, and a good friend shelley. and we were the lead handcart. all of the men in our trek left all of the women, and we had a little devotional. truthfully, i was nervous about it. you see, i may be strong willed, but i'm not very physically strong. {i'm not helpless, just not freakishly strong.} and i had tiny, tiny girls to help me. and our trail consisted of a huge steep hill. we're talking super steep. and i live in utah, i know what steep hills are. {apologies to the midwest.} so we began, i had a constant prayer running through my head, asking for as much help as possible. i knew we needed it. so we began, nothing but rocks and dirt in our path. we pulled and pulled our absolute hardest. after pressing on for what seemed like hours, i looked up to see all of the men lined up on the sides of our trail, marking the last stretch of our journey. i had held my composure very well until i looked up and saw my brothers and dad - - - i will never forget the look on their faces. i have tough brothers. super tough. but they looked so helpless. i've never seen them so upset. {i'm not sure if i'm allowed to say they cried, so for the record, they may or may not have cried. hard.} i was so touched - in my family, we all know that we love each other. but it was that moment that it hit me like a train, how much my brothers loved me. i lost control of the tears i was holding back. and by the time we reached the top, i was shaking with emotion. it was the most overwhelmed i think i have ever been. and i'll never forget it.
bribing a fellow trekker with cookies for the use of his guitar, to give to kalai, {also a youth leader in our stake} who entertained us for hours with his awesome songs.
i definitely gained a deeper appreciation for pioneers, even though we didn't have to kill a turkey, or bury and of our children. i completely respect the pioneers, and am so grateful for their sacrifices and their journey to this lovely place i call home.
so, pioneers, thank you. happy pioneer day.
i would go into further detail about our trek, but on the scale of pioneer treks from a cake walk to brutal abuse, ours was definitely closer to eating cupcakes... but still full of physical and spiritual growth.
highlights of the trek included:
an afternoon at martin's cove. i cannot fully express what it was like to be there in part reenacting their journey in the exact same spot. there was a sweet reverence in that little cove.
leading the womens pull. wow. {not going to lie, i still can't talk about without tearing up a little bit.} i had three 12 year old girls with me, the biggest of which probably weighing about the same as a cabbage patch doll, and a good friend shelley. and we were the lead handcart. all of the men in our trek left all of the women, and we had a little devotional. truthfully, i was nervous about it. you see, i may be strong willed, but i'm not very physically strong. {i'm not helpless, just not freakishly strong.} and i had tiny, tiny girls to help me. and our trail consisted of a huge steep hill. we're talking super steep. and i live in utah, i know what steep hills are. {apologies to the midwest.} so we began, i had a constant prayer running through my head, asking for as much help as possible. i knew we needed it. so we began, nothing but rocks and dirt in our path. we pulled and pulled our absolute hardest. after pressing on for what seemed like hours, i looked up to see all of the men lined up on the sides of our trail, marking the last stretch of our journey. i had held my composure very well until i looked up and saw my brothers and dad - - - i will never forget the look on their faces. i have tough brothers. super tough. but they looked so helpless. i've never seen them so upset. {i'm not sure if i'm allowed to say they cried, so for the record, they may or may not have cried. hard.} i was so touched - in my family, we all know that we love each other. but it was that moment that it hit me like a train, how much my brothers loved me. i lost control of the tears i was holding back. and by the time we reached the top, i was shaking with emotion. it was the most overwhelmed i think i have ever been. and i'll never forget it.
bribing a fellow trekker with cookies for the use of his guitar, to give to kalai, {also a youth leader in our stake} who entertained us for hours with his awesome songs.
i definitely gained a deeper appreciation for pioneers, even though we didn't have to kill a turkey, or bury and of our children. i completely respect the pioneers, and am so grateful for their sacrifices and their journey to this lovely place i call home.
so, pioneers, thank you. happy pioneer day.
2 comments:
I can just picture you on trek leading that pull going up the hill. I can only imagine that you still get emotional thinking about it when you saw your dad and your brothers - I'm fighting back the tears myself and I wasn't even there!! Great post, Shan :o)
Wow, Shan. I did the trek before they did the Women's pull - but it sounds so emotionally difficult! I cried just thinking about you and your brothers and dad!
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