...as they walked and walked and walked and walked...most of us know how the song goes about the Mormon Pioneers who trekked westward to the Utah Valley to have religious peace and freedom.
And children today still sing about these pioneer children. Who also apparently sang.
Fun, huh?
Sunday I had the privilege of hearing this song sung by the ward's primary:
My words this week are actually my mom's. I asked her to share with me her favorite song and why:
"Dear Daughter, My favorite song is 'When He Comes Again.' I have always liked it as a child and even now because I often thought, what would the world be like when Christ came? I think of 3 Nephi when He blessed the little children and they looked into His face, and I always wanted to be one of those children. That thought never gets old, and I believe we all want to have that experience. It's not about the destination we all seek, but it is the journey and how we deal with situations that is more important because that will determine OUR Eternal Destination."
My mom has been through quite a lot on her "journey!" I have seen her positive attitude day after day, year after year, and she has inspired me to be a better woman and missionary. How beautiful will that day be when we can each individually look into our Savior's face and thank Him for giving us everything. I know that He lives and that His Church is on the Earth in its fullness.
When He Comes Again
I wonder, when he comes again,
Will herald angels sing?
Will earth be white with drifted snow,
Or will the world know spring?
I wonder if one star will shine
Far brighter than the rest;
Will daylight stay the whole night through?
Will songbirds leave their nests?
I’m sure he’ll call his little ones
Together ’round his knee,
Because he said in days gone by,
“Suffer them to come to me.”
2. I wonder, when he comes again,
Will I be ready there
To look upon his loving face
And join with him in prayer?
Each day I’ll try to do his will
And let my light so shine
That others seeing me may seek
For greater light divine.
Then, when that blessed day is here,
He’ll love me and he’ll say,
“You’ve served me well, my little child;
Come unto my arms to stay.”
Words and music: Mirla Greenwood Thayne, 1907–1997
The National Anthem.
We hear it before every baseball game. We sing it at the top of our lungs at karaoke parties. We hum it in our cars. We hear our kids practice it on the tuba for marching band. Last week, a 10 year-old boy named Jaxon told me it is his favorite song to sing. And he does a great job of it, too.
"The Star-Spangled Banner."
What is that? Yes, it's about the American flag. Our flag has 50 white stars, representing the 50 states of the United States of America.
According to dictionary.com, to spangle means to sprinkle or stud with small, bright pieces, objects, or spots. To Francis Scott Key, our 50 stars spangle our banner and represent life, liberty, and all that we stand for as Americans. Did you know he wrote two other verses? Here's the last verse, which reminds us from Whom we got this free land.
Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blessed with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"
And the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
After serving in Fort Campbell, I gained a lot of patriotism as I looked into the eyes of these men and women and saw, for a moment, what they saw when they left their homes and their families for "the war's desolation." I saw how alone they felt, how scared they were, how BRAVE they were, and how determined they were to give up everything they had, even their own lives, to protect the freedoms we declared 236 years ago: Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press. Freedom of religion.
If it weren't for freedom of religion, Joseph Smith would never have grown up in a burned-over district where many churches professed their truth. He would not have searched for truth and prayed to Heavenly Father for an answer.
Prophets of old saw our land in a vision when they arrived in the Americas: "We have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed....And if it so be that they shall serve [God] according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them." (2 Nephi 1:5-8).
The question for you all today is, How can we "spangle" our lives with bright things?
