Lehi's Dream

            In 1 Nephi 8 (here) the prophet Lehi tells his family of a vision that he had received.  In his vision he see’s many people hanging onto an iron rod which leads to the tree of life. (video found here) There is a river along the path that leads to the tree.  Across the river is large and spacious building where several people are engaged in worldly activities.  Lehi sees people from his day as well as others – perhaps even our day.  He does not tell us that those toward the end of the line are wearing face masks and are standing six feet apart for instance.  The people in the spacious building laugh and point fingers at those holding onto the iron rod.  They have tried to convince the rod-holders to let go – especially those who are wearing masks and distancing themselves.  The people in the spacious building think that the rod holders are giving up their freedoms and are doing their best to convince them that they are allowing the government to control them. 

             The people in the building are saying things like, “We have jobs over here”   
             “We have many markets and stores”  
             "You can stand as close to one another as you’d like” 
            “If we so desire we can embrace other people who don’t live in our same house” 
             “We don’t have a government or a god.  We control ourselves”

                                                                                             

             Meanwhile, many of the people that are holding onto the rod continue to clutch even tighter.  Some have believed the words of the spacious building people and have let go.  Some of them are standing near the river trying to decide if it’s worth crossing.  Some have already been swallowed up by the mist of darkness.  They don’t quite believe the “spacious” people but have lost sight of the rod.  I think my boys fall into that category.  At least two think that this is a conspiracy and I have just shaken my head in disbelief.  Would the prophet, who is the mouthpiece of God, really lead us astray?  The government, perhaps, but not the leaders of the church.  They have been telling us this and preparing us for years – though none of us imagined this.

             COVID 19 may be scary, but not as scary as the aftermath.  Violent shoppers who don’t respect the distancing.  Many who have the idea that the universe revolves around them.  Riots.  Crowds.  Yea, crowds.  That in itself does not even appeal to me.  Though there are many who want to believe the words of the people from the spacious building, they don’t know how to get to the other side.  There has been too large a number of people drowning in the river as they try to cross.  They don’t have the insight that let’s them know we have to SLOWLY get back to normal – a new normal.  But they are impatient.  I believe that there impatience will set us back even further.

Junior High

          Canyonville School caters to grades K-8 and so it doesn’t seem far-fetched that the middle school age kids will use the playground just outside of the cafeteria.  Coffenberry also has a playground to use.  We never had that option when I went to junior high.  I honestly don’t remember where I went after lunch – although I am quite certain that I did not intentionally hang around the cafeteria.

          It seemed like there were some kids who went out to the field to play ball – or tag or something.  I was not a part of any athletic crowd – or any group for that matter.  I was mostly antisocial. I really didn’t like the loudness of school or being there in any way, shape or form.

          I used to dress up for spirit week – not because I had spirit but just to get away with dressing up in something out of the ordinary – though the themes didn’t seem as wild and crazy as school spirits have been in recent years.  I’ve taken pictures of Jenna in years past (see here) and  I took these pics of Jenna earlier last week:

Countdown to Christmas

      I believe it was just before Thanksgiving when Roland decided to tell me and the boys that we would come to visit them in Salt Lake this Christmas.  We are still in a financial bind, and Roland had changed his mind before I mailed out the packages and told the boys that we weren’t coming after all.  But something kept nagging at him.  He took out a loan and we were back on.

     Randy, our youngest, had said we could stay with him.  But we didn’t wish to appear we were playing favorites – although it would have been more practical.  He and Carrie recently purchased a house much larger than they need in an area about 45 minutes (without construction) from where we ended up staying.  Instead of visiting each boy individually, we would make them come to us.

     In all honesty, neither Jenna nor I were looking forward to the drive or the changes that we had known occurred during our absence – and those things that had not.  We knew that Randy would continue to try being funny and monopolize everyone’s time.  In all honesty, the thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing my sister and her family.

       As I had mentioned in a previous post, I hadn’t slept well this entire month.  Traveling has always been worse on my sleep patterns.  Thus I wasn’t thinking clearly when I suggested an out-of-the-way route we should go – the one the bus lines use because it seems the safest and I wanted the roads to be clear should there be snow.  With the amount of rainfall we have had all year (or lack of it) I think we would have been okay to take the less traveled roads.  My biggest worry was because of the amount of rain which filled the river beds in two days (instead of gradually during the last four months) and the coldness could create ice.  But whatever.  So we traveled a great distance in one day (Roland really should have stopped in Boise or somewhere before Tremonton;  it is wrong to stay awake for 20 plus hours in a row.)

        Over 2000 years ago, a census was brought forth not just in Rome, but most of Europe.  A census had also been issued in Palestine.  Only it was under Jewish law rather than Roman law.  Families were ordered to return to the lands of their births (or their fathers births) in order to pay taxes.  Joseph and Mary had made the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. 

According to Google or this site, it takes only two and a half hours to travel there by car – today.  Joseph and Mary did not have the luxury of traveling by car.  They had to walk.  On dirt roads.  They didn’t get to wear hiking boots or running shoes.  They wore sandals.

          I really didn’t mean to, but for my lack of sleep, I complained about my twisted pretzel shape position I had felt in the car.  We had stopped for Ben Gay to soothe my aching muscles.  We stopped often to stretch, to eat, to use the toilet or what have you.  Mary and Joseph most likely did not have those luxuries.  We don’t know how many stops they made, where, or at what expense.  Mary and Joseph weren’t traveling to Bethlehem because the wanted to.  They had been ordered to.  The expenses issued were the ones that the government provided.  We chose our own expenses.

          Mary may have not walked the entire way.  It has been speculated that she might have been on a donkey at one point.  Either way, she was pregnant.  Nine months pregnant!  I don’t know about Mary, but when I was pregnant, I had to use the toilet even more than I do right now.  Roland would have had to get a room in Boise or even before that as we would have been making bathroom stops every 20 minutes.  Did Mary even have that luxury?  Plus, we were able to adjust the temperature of the car according to our desires.  I know that Mary and Joseph didn’t have that option.

          There was no room for them at the inn.  According to this site, there really weren’t any inns or motels as we think of today. People would stay with their relatives in a guest room – which, again, we did have the opportunity to do so with Randy and Carrie – but it was another hour drive – through construction.  Our “inn” was crowded that first night but we had made a reservation.  That is another option or luxury we had that Mary and Joseph did not.  Cell phones, reservations . . . we were expected – well, the following day. Our reservations weren’t complete.  

        Roland had added a day just in case we did arrive early, but the information had not been communicated.  They were completely booked except for two rooms.  Our choices were between a smoking room which they said they could febreze or a room with a bathroom designed with a shower for one who might be in a wheelchair; it had no tub. As I am allergic to cigarette smoke and will get headaches even if febreze is used, we choose the one with the handicapped bathroom facility.

          Mary and Joseph had the choice of sleeping outside or inside where animals were kept – probably in some kind of cave.  I imagine a midwife was called.  She is probably the only human who offered services.  We had waiters, maids, running water, access to a small pool and spa.  The only animals we saw were the fake lit up deer Christmas decorations.  We didn’t have to have Jenna sleep in a manger.  We each had our own bed.  It was really nice – though I may not have appreciated it at the time.

          I would like to express my appreciation to all of those who provide service at the rest stops and maintain the properties and such.  Thank you to all those who stayed open on Christmas to either wait on us or provide us with shelter.  Thank you for giving up your Christmas so that I could have mine.