Breathtaking Views: Martin's Cove

I'll never forget this place. 

During our American Adventure Vol. I, we passed through Wyoming and had the chance to visit Martin's Cove. It was a place of significance for the Mormon handcart companies and can be read about here and here. The 900+ acre cove signified refuge and refuge for the pioneers, and the rock formation I photographed, Devil's Gate, was a major landmark on both the Oregon and Mormon trails. It is named after the Martin Handcart Company who stayed here, unable to move forward because of the icy blizzards and bitter cold, in November of 1856 after losing 145 members of their company. It is unknown as to how many died while in the cove, yet they lost several cattle during the freezing nights. The LDS President Brigham Young sent multiple rescue parties to Martin's Cove, and they finally were able to continue on their journey to the Great Salt Lake.

When we visited, we were the last guests of the day. We got the chance to not only visit all the exhibits and speak with all the missionaries, but we also received a bit of special treatment. Boy, were we blessed. My siblings, my mom, and I were driven around the cove on a little tour. Everything was so still and peaceful. Antelope and deer would walk right up to our buggy without making a sound. Even the animals seemed to have an understanding of this sacred place. We walked down to the Sweetwater River crossing and walked through the water in our bare feet. Even in the middle of July, the water was ice cold. We learned of the story of the 27 young men from the rescue party who carried each member of the Martin Handcart Company across the freezing river, sacrificing their own health and strength later on. In Solomon Kimball's 1917 account, Kimball stated, 

"Probably no greater act of heroism was ever recorded in the annals of history than that performed by the twenty-seven young men who, on the morning of October 7, 1856 went from the city of the Great Salt lake to the relief of the 1550 belated emigrants (who had started out from Iowa City) who were caught in the early snows of a sever winter, hundreds of miles from human habitation, without food and without shelter. By their indefatigable labors these brave mountain boys were instruments in the hands of the Lord in saving 1300 of that number. Had it not been for their heroic efforts, not enough emigrants would been left to tell the dreadful tale." 

As I watched my 12 year-old brother Josh carry my sister Isabelle across the river, I felt a sudden reverence for the sacrifice of those boys and the pioneers who journeyed here. Tears came into my eyes as we drove over the deep rivets the hundreds of handcarts had carved into the earth. I thought of all those who died. They had started on their journey to their "promised land" without a thought of failure or  complaint. They truly believed they would be delivered by their God. They must have had unshakable testimonies in order to give up all their possessions, abandon their occupations, and leave their homeland to follow their faith. They have set an incomparable example of strength and sacrifice for us in the latter-days. I truly realized this when I visited this historic site.

These People

There are people.

And then there are people who ignite your very soul, fill your mind with possibilities, pour strength into your needy limbs, and cause your heart to swell with so much joy it overflows in the form of laughter. These people are the ones I love most.

These people live with passion in their words, spring in their steps, and fire in their eyes.
They speak of their dreams with zealous energy and thought.
They know what love is, and they love you regardless of your endless lists of faults and problems.
They love deeply, they see clearly, they live righteously.
These are the people who inspire you to move more quickly and act more confidently.
These are the people who listen to you.
These are the people who make you feel of great value.
These are the people who follow the Spirit and know exactly when you need a friend.
These are the people who are leaders, loyal sons and daughters, dreamers, mentors, and friends.
These are the people who, when they make mistakes, will not give up hope.
These people know of their missions, and they stand ready to serve their God with all their might, mind, and strength.

I am privileged to have met some of these people in my life. I've been even more blessed to have built a friendship with a few of them. They are the most important people in my life.

Yet we may forget that these people are still people. They walk beside me on the journey through life, not ahead of me (as it all too often seems). I tend to think that these people are invincible somehow. They appear to have it all together. They seem to lead lives of perfection. I realized the truth after a long while of false assumption.

I don't thank these people enough. I don't let them know I love them. If I do manage to say "I love you" every once in a while, I don't tell them how much. I don't tell them when their text makes my day or when their smile reminds me to be happy. I don't tell them that they inspire me to be a better person or that they make me feel loved. Why don't I? Why don't we make time to show our love for the people in our lives? President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "Love is really spelled T-I-M-E." I need to be taking that time to show my love.

If you are one of these people, know that I love you. I love you more than time and words can tell. I wish I could tell you just how much it is. I cannot seem to find words to do so, however. It comes out wrong. It is sometimes misinterpreted to be something different than pure love and appreciation. It is rejected or frowned upon. Please try to know the truth. I love you.

I'll keep trying. I'll simply have to keep trying to show these people how much they mean to me. I'll continue learning from and admiring their diligence and faith. I'll take more time to love these people so that someday I'll be worthy of their requited love.

If you're reading this today, I know you've thought of a few of these people in your own life. Let us remember to thank them and show we love them. These people are the ones we love most.

Ethereal Music: Alleluia

ethereal (adj.)

1. extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world
2. of the celestial spheres; heavenly; spiritual

It is truly a joy to find ethereal music on the earth. Once you have heard such a song, you have no doubt of its inspired roots. I have tried to actively seek out and be involved in the creation of music like this throughout my life "that I may go down in peace, and my immortal spirit may join the choirs above in singing praises of a just God." (Mosiah 2:28) 

This song changed my life today. Perhaps you will see why also.

"I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." (Revelation 19:1, 6)

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4, 7)

"My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." (D&C 25:12)

The Beginning

I feel like my life has only just begun.

It has, I suppose. I am only 16, a mere infant in comparison to this great earth. I am hardly half a grain of sand in the universe. There has been an inconceivable magnitude of time and space since it the beginning. But seeing as there is no beginning and no end, I am hardly more than a minuscule mite in the eternal round. Many say to me that because I am young or small, I should not push myself so hard. I should not think about the future too seriously. I should not attempt to take on the world so early.

Should I?

I should certainly think not. I've only just found myself. I've only just learned to think, to dream, and to live. My greatest regret is that I hadn't been able to do so sooner. I wish I had known what freedom tastes like and what joy pure creativity brings. Alas, I did not even know what I didn't know...

Every day seems like a new beginning for me now that I know and have learned these things. I can see that I am on a journey to gain knowledge as a part of the accomplishment of my divine mission here on earth. I feel I am constantly discovering phenomenons and experiencing wonders. However, a main watershed in this journey occurred only two years ago. I left public school.

Before third grade, life was carefree. I was my own person. That person was a tenacious, slightly rebellious, artistic, spirited, happy little girl who, as early as three years old, would stay up as late as she could reading book after book at night. She picked bouquets of weeds and made castles of sand. She spontaneously broke into song and danced like nobody watched. She naturally excelled in academics at her public school and was passionate about her simple life.

Then, she changed.

Everything changed for me in third grade. I had just moved to a new school, a new house, and a new state. I remember the very first day of my charter school so distinctly. I couldn't see, for I was unaware that I greatly needed glasses at the time. I couldn't speak, for I was terrified of saying the wrong thing. I couldn't think, for I wasn't sure if what I thought was the right thing to think at the right time to think it... They wanted me to think a certain way. I felt like I had to satisfy them, thus I jeopardized myself. That day, I changed. I stopped being myself. I thought that by doing this I protected myself. By conforming to their system, I was praised by teachers and envied by peers. I thought this was the right thing. I quickly learned to play the system at that charter school. I excelled in every class and received stellar grades. I knew just how to please every teacher and ace every assignment. I kept this up until I graduated from eighth grade. I was going nowhere.

I know there is no other explanation than that of divine inspiration that gave me the urge to leave school. I excelled in it. I would have excelled in their system throughout high school. Many asked why I didn't choose to do so. For a long time, I did not know. I do know one thing, however.

I did not know how to think.

I hadn't learned how to think, for I hadn't needed to. I wasn't aware of this, but my creativity had been snuffed out by the system. Learning was no longer a love of mine. Learning was rather a game of manipulation and strategy that I appeared to be winning on the outside.

There is much more to his story, for the mindless education did not stop there. I struggled to change for another year and a half. I tested into college directly from eighth grade, which consequently led to more constant stress and study. I attended five different schools over the course of that time. My grades were always perfect, but I was hit by other hardships that I had not recognized before. Life was a whirlwind.

Somehow, though, I began to see what was missing. Oh, was I ever wrong all those years. To think. To dream. To live. That is how you win the game. But it was not a game anymore, I realized. It is a journey. It is a lifelong quest for knowledge and light. I needed to finally begin that quest. I know now that I could not have done so while I was still in public school.

My life has just begun.

 Don't get me wrong, I'm still trying to change. I'm still learning how to learn. I'm still trying to make up for all those years of lengthy rubrics and perfect A's and mindless exams. I'm still correcting my old habits. I'm still trying to find the right path for me to take. It is still incredibly hard for me to be myself.

But now, I can think. Now, I dream. Now, I see my life for what it truly is and for what it potentially can be. I'm getting to know myself. I'm trying to be my true self for the first time. I'm growing. I'm teaching. I'm loving. I'm trusting again. I'm finding real friends for the first time, ones who truly stand with me and truly love me. I'm getting to know God better. I'm learning of Christ. I'm following Him.

I love life again.

Once again, I've found the girl who is passionate about living. She finds magic in her drawings and her books. She makes time for dancing in torrential downpours and singing opera around the house at the top of her lungs. She achieves highly in her schoolwork and enjoys it. She laughs and cries without shame. She reads her scriptures and prays to her Heavenly Father morning and night. She loves others deeply. She loves herself. She loves God.

I am on a journey. I have a mission. I know my purpose.

Here I go.