On Responsibilty.

Yesterday we spent the Sabbath honoring Pioneer Day, which occurred on the 24th of July. Marking the day the saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. With Sunday being the 25th, it was only natural for the thoughts & focus of the meetings turn to the Pioneers.

I love Pioneer Day for a myriad of reasons. Growing up my grandmother was always quick to remind us of our pioneer stock. 'Be loyal to the royal within you' are some of her famous words, which i have decided need a place in my home somewhere. I come from a very rich pioneer heritage, that counts both Brigham Young & Parely P. Pratt as 5th & 6th great-grandfathers...from different lines obviously.

And while I always appreciated it growing up, it wasn't until I spent a semester in Nauvoo that I truly valued these men & their counterparts for the courage in their testimonies. Being in Nauvoo just prior to the temple dedication & seeing their homes, way of life & being able to physically help on the very same temple they worked through sweat & tears to build was very humbling to me. And I felt a weight to it.

I started wondering if they ever knew their prosperity would mingle & merge. And then I wondered if they would be happy with the result. Very quickly I realized how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful examples to follow. My whole life I have had the opportunity to know the truth. To understand who I am, where I came from & where I am going & with that knowledge comes responsibility.

In my case, there are no excuses to fail. The Lord has blessed me in abundance & it is up to me to live up to the 'royal within.' And while I feel a great responsibility I also feel a great strength. It is not just the pioneer men I come from, but their wives {Brigham Young's 1st, Parley P Pratt's 10th}. Wives who crossed the plains without their husbands by their side. Wives that protected their faith & their children. Wives who, regardless their number, loved their husbands deeply & protected that relationship.

And while I face different trials & struggles than them, the goal is the same & there is a feeling of unity. So when I hear the world calling out to me & my big ideas of 'changing the world' {whatever that means} I have to remember that those goals are more likely to be reached INSIDE the home as opposed to OUTSIDE...and frankly, that is way better.

I once wrote down the following from a talk:

"My role in life right now, is to be a support to those around me...not to seek out opportunities for others to praise me."

I don't remember who said it, but I know it was from a stake adult session & I love it & think of it often. My pioneer mothers were so wonderful at this. So so so very strong in the face of criticism & hardship as they turned towards their families. I am so very thankful for their example & hope I can be 'loyal to the royal within.'

and ps...and isn't just me who has the royal within. I just hung a quote on the lady's wall that says, 'princess...daughter of a heavenly king.'

be loyal & hopefully i can do the same.