Happy Pioneer Day!!!

When I was going through some old Ensigns awhile back, I found this poem in one of them that I fell in love with. I cut it out and put it in the front of my primary binder. It has really stuck with me ever since I first read it. Here it is....

Faith to Follow
by Lisa South

I dream of being a Moses,
an Esther,
A Nephi--
And despair that I
Don't have that
Greatness in me.

But then
I remember--
God doesn't require greatness,
He requires faith;
And some of us must have
The faith to follow.

I love to learn about the pioneers. I have had such incredible experiences as I have read and studied about their struggles, sacrifices, obedience, and faith. I often wonder whether I would have had the faith to follow. The faith to leave my home and travel 1200 miles across mountains, icy rivers, blizzards, and unknown trails. The faith to sacrifice loved ones and bury them along the way. The faith to press forward to Zion, a place that no one had ever seen or heard of. The faith to follow a prophet. The faith to follow my Savior.

This last Saturday I had the opportunity to go to the temple with a sister in my ward. She is almost 80 years old and she is a woman of tremendous faith. She is seriously an angel!!! As we talked for the 2 1/2 hours that it took to get there, I felt as if I was talking to a pioneer woman. She has experienced so many trials and sufferings in her life, but she continually exercised her faith to follow. I am so grateful for such incredible women in my pioneer heritage, in my extended family, and in my ward family. My mom gave me a mug awhile back that says it perfectly, "Here's to good women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them."