August Theme: August Theme: Pioneer Heritage

I wish I had a cool picture of pioneers to put here, but I have no Mormon Pioneer ancestors. Back when I used to be a believing, active Mormon I always felt a twinge of envy for members who did and could tell stories of how grandma walked barefoot across the snow covered plains pulling her handcart while breastfeeding her baby, just after sending her husband on the Mormon Battalion (OK, I'm exaggerating a bit here and I'm sorry if this offends anyone whose granny actually did that!!) But it was yet another reminder how "I really didn't fit in".

 

However, the LDS culture always has room to spin just about anything. So sure, there could be stories like that of my uncle, the first person from the family who became a member, my step dad who gave up being a cop after converting to the church and moving his family to a new country in search of a better life. Sure, my siblings and I didn't pull handcarts, but boy we pulled lots and lots of garbage cans around buildings, mop buckets worked many nights past midnight stripping and waxing floors and still were required to wake up for early-morning seminary. I think you get the idea but I'm not so sure that's what the theme is about...

 

While I don't have any LDS Pioneer stories to relate, I also do believe that I've broken a lot of new ground in my life and while I've conformed in many things--yes, throw the->->had to marry a woman to meet my social/family expectations on my face again why don't you?-- I also would like to think that I've forged my own way through many others. I probably have never felt more like a Pioneer than I have in the last year and a half:

• I may have not walked across the plains, but boy I have walked and walked. There used to be nights when all I could do to not lose my mind was to grab the dog and go on a long walk and listen to the dead silence of the streets at 3:00 a.m. I wore out a pair of tennis shoes in just a year and was also surprised to realize just how many insomniacs are out there either watching TV and occasionally walking around the streets themselves.
• I've learned to let go of just about anything material. Ever found yourself with $5 and a 1/4 of tank of gas and about a full week until the next paycheck? I suppose this is where a lot of the walking especially walking by faith came in handy!
• I've had to forged my way through a lot of unknowns and uncertain. Sure I have not run into wolves or other beasts but I've run into weird and not so quirky people as much as I've also run into an amazing and supportive community that in essence has circled their wagons around me more times than I've probably been able to notice one way or another.
• Have I arrived to the promised land? Hardly, some days I'm not sure such place exists, but I have to picture my own version of Zion (yeah the one with rainbows and pride parades and where everyone is friendly, helpful and caring, after all isn't that why I like to watch beauty pageants, because I want world peace?) :-). I am not sure I'll ever find it 100% but hey, I believe that's what makes the journey all the more exciting. Some lessons have been fun and some have been painful...such is life!