The New Year is traditionally a time to look forward, to make resolutions to live one's best life. However, today, I am looking back, specifically, back to those who have gone before and the legacy they have given me.
My father's ancestors traveled across the plains in the mid-nineteenth century for religious freedom. They settled in Utah, built a comfortable home, and started a new life. At directions from then President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, they uprooted their family to journey to the Gila Valley of Arizona.
Gila monsters, sand, and hardship greeted them. Still, they persevered and established a settlement, began a freighting company, and built churches. A town, Hubbard, was named for my grandmother's family. Hard work and worship were their watchwords.
My mother's people (in the south, you don't say family but "people") dug in to the fertile soil of eastern Tennessee. With stubborn pride and a love for the Lord, they taught their children to work, to revere God, to serve in whatever way they could. My mother frequently related stories of growing up during the Great Depression. She and her sisters each had two dresses: one for school and one for church. These few clothes were not popped into an automatic washer but sponged off every night, made ready to wear for the next day. Thrift and making-do were a way of life.
My parents left little in the way of material goods, but they gave my sister and me and our families a legacy rich in service, faithfulness, and integrity.
So, today, I am grateful for the legacy of family, for those who have gone before.
Jane,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog title and very interesting. Look forward to trekking through the New Year and reading your inspiring posts. Abundant blessings and gratitude!