Here’s A Little Challenge For You. Don’t Worry, You Can Do It!
Written by Rich Harshaw.
What a difference a day can make. Just 24 hours.
Read the two journal entries below from an 1856 Mormon handcart pioneer and you’ll see what I mean:
“Suffice it to say that all the disgusting scenes which the reader might imagine would certainly not equal the terrible reality. It was enough to make the heavens weep. The recollection of it unmans me even now.”
-John Chislett, Monday, October 20, 1856
“Shouts of joy rent the air; strong men wept till tears ran freely down their furrowed and sun-burnt cheeks, and little children partook of the joy which some of them hardly understood, and fairly danced around with gladness.”
-John Chislett, Tuesday, October 21, 1856
You may not know this, but every year people of the Mormon faith celebrate “Pioneer Day” on July 24th; it’s a time to commemorate Brigham Young’s first arrival into the Salt Lake valley on July 24, 1847, and to honor the commitment, courage, and sacrifice of all the early pioneers who followed him there. In Utah, it’s an official state holiday; Mormons in other parts of the world don’t get the day off, but still make an effort to remember and celebrate their Mormon heritage.
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