The Power of a Group Against Racism

When a person stands alone with a sign or is shouting a message for everyone to hear, they are considered crazy. Most people will not stop to listen to them. Instead they will try to avoid eye contact or look away from the overzealous shouting nut with a sign. It is an awkward situation to say the least. For the last few years, working on the Stone Mountain Park project has led me to feel like that crazy person with a sign held out trying to share a message that is not being heard. It is exhausting to be the lone crazy person in a crowd and being the lone crazy person on social media doesn't feel much different. 

Not that I think I am crazy.  

Nope, I am perfectly sane....well as sane as the next guy.

But good news, I am no longer a single voice shouting in the crowd. This last week I joined the Stone Mountain Action Coalition (SMAC). It is such a relief to be working with people who want the same kind of progress and change at Stone Mountain Park that I do. SMAC is a group made up of many other different organizations and people. All of the people in SMAC think that Stone Mountain Park's Confederate theme needs to change. They do love the park, its nature elements, and many of the attractions there though. They want to preserve the good parts of this Georgia State park, but repurpose it so that its theme is one everyone in the state of Georgia will love and be proud of.

Joining SMAC has helped me realize the power of a group. Sometimes as mortals we think of power or strength on an individual basis. Is this person strong enough to lift this weight? Are they strong enough to endure this challenge? It is almost as if strength is an individual trait, but there is also strength and power in a group.

 During the civil rights era there were many people who protested on an individual basis. For example, we often talk about Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat but she was not the first black person who refused to give up their seat for a white person. A young woman by the name of Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat and was arrested 9 months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. 

So, why is Rosa Parks a household name and Claudette Colvin is not? Because of the power of a group. Claudette Colvin was one (in the eyes of others) crazy teenager who wouldn't give up her seat. People did not respect her because of her age and her loud personality. Rosa Parks on the other hand was a quiet and respected member of the community. She was a civil rights activist and because of her position in the community other civil rights activists followed her example. Civil rights leaders used Rosa Parks as a person to follow and created a movement to boycott the buses. The lack of revenue and court cases that followed made it possible for change in the United States and the buses to take down their segregation signs and laws were changed.

Today, it is not any different. One crazy person doing something to cause change is not going to make a difference. We need other people to join the group and to stand up against symbols of racism. To fight the continued battle for equality and justice. Today on Instagram Martin Luther King Jr's daughter, Bernice King, shared that her father defined justice as "Love correcting everything that stands against love." 

To understand why the Confederate Memorial carving on Stone Mountain stands against love, you need to understand a little about the history. For an infographic timeline of the carving's history click here. Although the idea for the memorial originates in 1914, Stone Mountain was not purchased by the state of Georgia until 1958. This is just four years after the Brown vs. Board of Education case ruled segregation in the schools illegal. When Governor Marvin Griffith bought the land, he wrote into Georgia laws that the land would be a confederate memorial. Why would the governor of Georgia want to create a monument to the Confederacy during the Civil Rights era? 

One year after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech - a speech that might not be as popular today if there was not such a large group in attendance - the carving began on Stone Mountain. So, when Martin Luther King Jr. said in that same speech that he wanted "freedom to ring from Stone Mountain," the state responded by raising Confederate flags and carving a Confederate monument.

How can love correct this affront against love and obvious act of racism? We can work together, unite as a group and say that we will not allow symbols of racism to stand. That is not the message we want for our children or our children's children. The Confederate Memorial was not created merely out of ancestral pride. It was created as a protest against integration. A protest that I cannot and will never support. 

Why I changed my opinion of Confederate Memorials, and you should too.

*I don't normally write political pieces, but the last two posts have been political. I understand if it is not something you like to read about, but this year I have been inspired to write these posts. I will follow that inspiration wherever it leads. 

At the beginning of this year, I did something completely out of character for me and created a Change.org petition to update the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain. For those who don’t know what the Confederate Memorial is or anything about Stone Mountain, I will give you a brief description. Stone Mountain is larger than Mount Rushmore. It is home to the world’s largest piece of exposed granite. It is literally a large Stone Mountain. It has Southern generals and the President of the Confederate States on their horses engraved onto the face of the mountain.[1] 

My petition to update Stone mountain was to change the memorial from one that was strictly a Confederate Memorial to a Civil War monument. It seemed like a good compromise to add those who fought against slavery to the mountain. This would allow the history of the Confederacy to be preserved while spreading a better overall message. It would give representation to both sides of the Civil War. This seemed like a great comprise to the controversy that surrounds Stone Mountain and I believed in my heart that it was the solution

As part of my efforts, I contacted the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP to get their support. They responded, “Adding anything to it only validates the vision. ‘Subtraction’ is the only way to repudiate Georgia’s racism.”  Their response made me sad because I believed that subtracting would be destroying a piece of history and an artist’s hard work.

Then a month ago Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R)[2] posted a picture of a man accused of modern-day slavery. I was disgusted that they posted his face and even more disgusted with this man’s actions. It was at this point that I realized two very important things. First, slavery has not been eradicated and it is a battle still being fought today. Second, those confederate men depicted on Stone Mountain fought to keep slavery legal and growing. I would not put the modern-day slave owner’s picture on anything, let alone carve his face onto a mountain. The only reason I need to know what he looks like is to avoid him. Yet, larger than life memorialized forever are three men who fought and won battles to keep slavery legal.

Some will argue that the Civil War was not begun as a fight for slavery. I have heard and completely understand those arguments. However, the Confederacy was fighting for the right to add more slave states to the union. Which means that they were fighting for the continuation and growth of slavery.

My question for us is how can we achieve freedom for all people when we revere and memorialize those who fought to enslave?

In a lesson on monuments by facinghistory.com they say “Monuments and memorials serve multiple functions in the communities in which they are erected. When the members of the community create a monument or memorial, they are making a statement about the ideas, values, or individuals they think their society should remember, if not honor.”[3]

Stone Mountain and its Confederate Memorial are owned by the state of Georgia. Does Georgia really want to honor and remember President Robert E Lee, General Jefferson Davis, and General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson?

These men represent the confederacy and a war that they fought to keep slavery legal; a practice that allows men to oppress and abuse their fellow men. Slave owners would rape their female slaves to produce more slaves and have all the free labor they desired. They called and considered their slaves as chattel and property. Slaves were not seen as people or equal in value to their owners.
This is not the history I want to memorialize. The history of the United States that I want to honor and remember are those men who fought for everyone’s freedom. I want to remember "The Declaration of Independence" and its creed that “all men are created equal.” This is a great example of the history of America that we should remember and honor with memorials. 

Keeping Stone Mountain as a memorial to the Confederacy is not a matter of preserving history. Stone Mountain’s history resides in the granite taken from it and used to build the Fort Knox gold depository and the foundation for the Lincoln Memorial. 

For those who say that keeping the Stone Mountain carving is preserving history, let’s review its history. The Civil War took place between 1861 and 1865. The first thought of carving confederate men onto Stone Mountain is on record as 1915, fifty years after the Civil War ended. The carving began in 1923, but that initial carving was blasted away in 1928. At that time carving began again, but only lasted for a few months. Then it stopped once more with no plans or money to begin again. The State of Georgia bought Stone Mountain in 1958 and has owned it ever since.[4]

The bulk of carving on Stone Mountain did not begin until 1964. This was the same year many people were fighting for an end to discrimination. In fact, the Civil Rights Law of 1964 (a law that prohibited segregation and employment discrimination) was passed on July 2^nd and the carving of Stone Mountain started on July 4^th, just two days later.[5] The carving of Stone Mountain was not completed until 1972. 

Stone Mountain was not carved to show respect to amazing men and their contribution to society. It was carved to show continued disrespect to those citizens of the United States who were colored. It was carved to make a stand for discrimination and against forced integration. That is the real history of the Confederate Memorial carving on Stone Mountain.

Is this what the citizens of Georgia want to remember and honor? Do they want to memorialize those who fought to enslave and discriminate, or do they want to continue to fight against slavery and discrimination?

As for me, I changed my mind. I don’t want to preserve the history of discrimination that is the Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain. I want to fight slavery and discrimination. I want to honor and remember those who fought for freedom for all mankind in the past and those who continue to fight for it today.

---

[1] https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/things-you-might-not-know-about-stone-mountain-park/bdffmFbsNskCuHX2mgEHpO/

[2] http://ourrescue.org/blog/

[3] facinghistory.com

[4] https://www.stonemountainpark.com/About/History

[5] https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act

Falcons and Stone Mountain

Almost two years ago there was an excited energy in Atlanta. The state of Georgia was alive with anticipation. The Falcons had finally made it to the Superbowl and all of Georgia gathered to support their team

We looked forward to seeing the Falcon’s “RISE UP” and win against the Patriots. After the first half of the Superbowl, the Falcons were up by 25 points. According to ESPN, “no team had ever made up more than a 10-point deficit to win the super Bowl.” But when the game ended, the score was Patriots 34 and Falcons 28.  My daughter was so upset she stormed upstairs crying and Falcons fans everywhere mourned the loss.

For some reason my reaction was the opposite. The very next morning I woke up and bought Falcon’s t-shirts for the entire family. I know that someday the Falcons will go to the Super Bowl again and when they do, I will be ready with t-shirts for the whole family.

This isn’t the Falcons year yet but the excitement is still in the city of Atlanta as they host the Super Bowl. For those watching the game at home the NFL will be launching a new “Inspire Change” initiative with television spots. The initiative seeks to “create positive change in communities across the country.”  

One community that can use some positive change is Georgia’s own Stone Mountain.  For years Stone Mountain has been home to the world’s largest confederate monument. However, it is time for Stone Mountain to become a Civil War monument that includes some of the hard-working slaves, the backbone of the south. William and Ellen Craft would be excellent candidates.

William and Ellen lived on different plantations in Southern Georgia. Ellen’s father was the white plantation owner and her mother was one of his slaves. Ellen was born a slave with a light complexion. The mistress of the house hated her for it and treated her very badly. At age eleven Ellen was given to her half-sister in another town and separated from her mother.

William Craft also knew the sadness and loss associated with being a slave.  His parents, two brothers and a sister were sold at auction. When William and his fourteen-year-old sister found themselves on the auction block as well, he pled with his sister’s new owner and the auctioneer to let him say good-bye. They refused and unable to do anything, he simply had to look on from a distance as his sister with tears rolling down her cheeks in despair bowed a final farewell.

After experiencing so much family separation William and Ellen struggled with the thought of getting married even though they loved each other. They had separate owners and knew that any children they had together would be born slaves. So instead of subjecting their future children to that life and possibly being separated from them or each other, they came up with a plan to escape to freedom. Ellen dressed up like a white slave owning plantation man. She wrapped her face in cloth and pretended to have a tooth ache and wrapped her arm up as if it was injured as well. She cut her hair, wore male clothes, and even donned a top hat.

 Ellen played the part of William’s master. With a few days off for Christmas, they started their 1,000-mile journey to the north. It was not easy, and they could not travel together. Ellen had to stay in character and remain with the white people and William had to travel with the other slaves. After they reached freedom in the north, they began to tell others about their story and the life of a slave in the south. Eventually, they had to travel to England in order to remain free and safe. They never stopped telling their story and fighting for freedom, though. When slaves became free in all of America, they returned to Georgia and started a school, that they funded with their own money, to help educate former slaves and the poor.

William and Ellen saw the injustice of slavery and rose up to escape it. Then they fought it and came back to Georgia to help others create a better life for themselves. Having them carved onto Stone Mountain would remind us of their story and others like them. Their story is part of the south’s story and deserves to be immortalized along with the confederate generals that are currently carved onto Stone mountain.

Now there may be some who say that we should get rid of the confederate generals from the monument completely. However, even these men have a story to tell that is worth listening to.

General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s life was not easy. His parents both died before he was eight, leaving him an orphan. He was considered by one of his uncles to be the least bright of the Jackson children. He made it into West Point college by the skin of his teeth through sheer determination and was ranked 94^th when he started; dead last in his class. He worked hard and finished 17^th.

Jackson’s first wife, Ellie as he affectionately called her, died after delivering a still born baby boy. When their funeral was over, Jackson stood at their single grave as snow fell around him until his pastor came and led him away.

Jackson’s faith was a big part of who he was. He prayed and read scriptures daily. He prayed everywhere and about everything. He even prayed before opening a letter to be prepared for its contents.

Jackson’s belief in God made him want to help all people, so he started a black Sunday School. Because of this act his friend once remarked that “He was emphatically the black man’s friend.” Although he owned a few slaves, he did not try to become a slave owner and he was kind and generous to the few he did own.

Additionally, Jackson was a unionist and he did not want to go to war. He said, “It is painful to discover with what unconcern they speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen enough of it to look upon it as the sum of all evils.” Jackson even went to his pastor to talk about uniting everyone in prayer to avoid war.

Then, why did Jackson go to war as a confederate? Well, Jackson’s first loyalty was to his state. He did not want the government to take power from Virginia or to invade it. When the federal government did, he fought back with his fellow Virginians. Jackson’s second wife Anna said that he never would have gone to war to fight to keep slavery going.

Once war began Jackson earned his nickname of “Stonewall” because he taught his men to stand their ground and not retreat. Jackson would probably love to be a navy seals trainer if he were alive today. During his day he was known for pushing his men faster and further than was thought possible.

General “Stonewall” Jackson’s determination inspired the south, but what he really wanted was to live the American dream by owning a home and living a simple life with his wife. Thinking back on his life he said, “I too have crosses and am at times deeply afflicted, but however sore may be the trials they lose their poignancy and instead of producing injury I feel that I am but improved by the ordeal.” 

Like Jackson after trials, the United States became a better country after the sore affliction of the Civil War. It became a better country because finally all of its citizens were free. Although, the continued freedoms of blacks, women, minorities, and so many more are still fought for today. There is hope that someday we will all be treated and paid as equals. 

In the meantime, having a monument dedicated to a bigger picture of the civil war would be a step in the right direction. History should not be erased or forgotten but learned from. I am still hoping the Falcons can learn from their game with the Patriots and “rise up” to win a Super Bowl someday. But for now, let’s “Inspire Change” to Stone Mountain. Let’s create a Civil War Monument and remember both the confederate generals and the true back-bone of the south, the slaves. In remembering, we will not repeat the mistakes of the past and we will show that “United we stand.”

Please join with me in creating a permanent change. Help improve Stone Mountain and learn from the past. The Confederate generals were far from perfect, but none of us are perfect. If the only people we made statues and momuments of were perfect, then we never would have any besides Jesus Christ. However, there is good in many of us and we need to see the good as well as acknowledge the bad. 

https://www.change.org/p/carve-slaves-william-and-ellen-craft-onto-stone-mountain

Works Cited - 

Information on William and Ellen Craft -
Craft, William and Ellen. "Running a Thousand Miles For Freedom." Start Publishing LLC eBook edition, 2012.
McDonough, Yona Zelis. "What Was the Underground Railroad?" Penguin Workshop,           2013.

Information on General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson - 
Gwynee, S.C. "Rebel Yell: the Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson."  Scribner, 2014.

Faith in God's Plan For Me

               These people are so important to me and I am so grateful for them. It is a miracle they are in my life. I know it was part of God's plan for me to only be able to have these two beautiful girls for now, but it wasn't always an easy journey. I recently wrote an essay for my English class describing some of those infertility years. They were so hard, but I have faith now that God's plan is the best plan for me and you. Here is the essay: 

I had to be vulnerable, again. I had to talk to a complete stranger about my life’s greatest disappointment.  It was one of the scariest moments of my life. A moment where I had to trust in the Lord, and the answer I received with no facts to back it up. I sat in the sterile doctor’s office trying to explain the last seven years of struggle through halting sentences with my body and voice shaking from nervous energy. I left the office with no surgery date scheduled crying hideously. Even though I tried, it was impossible to keep the sobs of pain in. The chubby blonde behind the checkout desk offered tissues, and quickly checked me out. I wanted out of there-- away from the frustration and disappointment.

The events leading up to this point were full of ups and downs as far as fertility goes. In the beginning I didn’t understand why I struggled with fertility. My mother had seven children, both of my grandparents had seven children, and my husband came from seven as well. When we got married, I figured that seven was the lucky number. I thought I would have no problem getting pregnant.

Before getting married John and I prayed about birth control and received the answer that it was our choice. We wanted to get to know each other better and have some time alone before adding kids, so I took birth control. After a year of marriage, it no longer felt right to take birth control. We needed to turn control over to the Lord. If I had known what the next few years would hold, this would not have been a difficult decision. But I didn’t know, and it was difficult to give up the dreams of finishing school and having solid finances before trying to have children.  After six months the Lord being in charge, I waivered again. Only this time I wanted to be pregnant. Why wasn’t I pregnant? Wasn’t that why God told me to get off birth control? So I began taking my basal temperature and charting when I ovulated with monk like devotion. Every morning I would wake up, take my temperature, chart it, and then get out of bed. Still nothing happened.

After a year of trying, we went to the doctor. I was still young enough at that point that they looked at me with annoyance for even trying to become pregnant. They set up a round of tests for me and my husband. When the results came back ”Picture Perfect,” the doctor gave us the option of using fertility medicine to speed up the process. As I looked around the room filled with pictures of babies, my response came easily. Once again, I pushed my will and tried to take control of my life. “Yes, please.”

Two months later I lay in the hospital ER in extreme agony wondering what had gone wrong; kidney stone. I spent that Fourth of July in a drug induced stupor. Through the tests for the stone we discovered that I had cysts on my ovaries, a side effect from the fertility medicine. I turned my fertility completely over to the Lord once more and threw the medicine away.

Nine months later I had my first ever positive pregnancy test and was afraid to hope. I spent the entire first trimester of that pregnancy afraid to tell anyone that I was pregnant. Afraid that at any minute I would have a miscarriage and my hopes would once again be dashed. Even though we both struggled during delivery, I ended up with a perfect Gerber baby girl named Celia.

It took a year to recover mentally and physically from the ordeal and handle a colicky baby. Still, I wanted seven kids to keep the tradition going. Surely it wouldn’t be that hard to get pregnant this time. As six months turned into a year and a year turned into a two, I began to worry again. This time I tried to wait for the Lord’s timing. I asked for a blessing during a particularly low point. The Lord gave some beautiful counsel that sustained me for a time. He said, “Your baby is not ready yet. Be patient.”  How can my baby not be ready yet, I wondered? Shortly after that I came across Doctrine and Covenants 138:56 “Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of the spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.” After being prepared, my child(ren) would come in the Lord’s time.

I tried to be patient and wait, but it was difficult. With every passing year, I knew my dreams of having a big family were disappearing.  At the peak of my fertility journey, I came across an endometriosis pamphlet and said to my mother, “Aren’t these symptoms things that every woman deals with?”  “Uh, No, Jenny. They are not” was her definite response. A week later, as I was in the car driving, a calm peace came over me and a clear thought entered my head. “You have endometriosis and you need surgery.”

That is what led me to be vulnerable, not for the first time but for the third time. It was different going to the doctor this time because I knew what was wrong and merely had to convince them to treat something they had not diagnosed. I left the office a mess, but an hour later I received an apologetic phone call. Surgery was performed a few months later and finally some answers were received. That clear impression was an answer to my prayers.

I would love to say that after surgery everything was smooth sailing and that I am currently pregnant with my fifth child, but that is not true. I did get pregnant and had my second miracle daughter, Reese. That is all the children I have currently been blessed with. Instead of children, God has placed people in my path that I have been able to help and comfort because I continue to struggle with fertility. He put it in my heart to become a foster to adopt parent and someday we will bless more children. His plan is always the right plan, not easier, but definitely the one we need. I have learned so much and I know I needed these experiences to grow.

Greatness

I believe that within every person is the potential for greatness. Greatness is the ability to make lasting improvements in another person’s life. It happens when you leave someone forever changed because of your influence and ability to see them with an eternal perspective.

 There is one experience that helped me to see the greatness in both my older sister, Rachel, and her friend, Jill. It was during my sixth grade year at a very small rural elementary school that was Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Each grade level had one class, one teacher, and less than thirty kids.  Most of the kids had been there since Pre-Kindergarten.

Rachel had been bullied, picked on, and named the “weird kid” in her class. Recess was spent reading comics and trying to escape the taunts and teases of her classmates. She struggled with her self-esteem, and eventually was so depressed that she couldn’t think of a single good thing about herself.

During those years, Rachel would pray every day for a friend. When Jill arrived at school Rachel knew she was the answer to her prayer. Jill was warned about this weird girl, Rachel, and told to stay away. Lucky for us, we lived next door to a cute boy. Jill began coming over to visit. Jill was amazing, sweet and extremely interested in learning more about our church. Her father had passed away a few years earlier and she wanted to know what happens after we die. The three of us had long discussions about our Heavenly Father and His eternal plan for all of us.

Talking with Jill about how much God loves all of us was an important life changing experience. As we spoke there was a feeling that I can only describe as spiritual fire. It sunk deeply into my heart that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and He wants us to return to him someday. Seeing life with an eternal perspective and knowing that Jill would someday be reunited with her father gave me so much peace and joy.

It was an experience that changed all of our lives. Jill became interested in the church and was baptized. She continued to be Rachel’s friend, even though she could have been a part of the popular crowd. Rachel knew that she was important enough to Heavenly Father to receive an answer to her prayer.  She got the friend she deserved all her life and was able to see her own value through Jill’s love and friendship. Their “best friends” necklace is still one of Rachel’s prized possessions.

When we improve someone’s life and help them see that they are a child of God we achieve greatness. God does not want us to fail in life. We are meant to grow and improve. Sometimes that improvement and growth happens after the struggles of life drag us down until we are on bended knee pleading with God. Rachel’s struggles led to a change in my life and Jill’s. Jill’s struggles led her to change my life and Rachel’s. There is so much more than this moment or experience, there is eternity.  We were blessed after the struggle.

I am forever changed because I was able to witness Rachel and Jill’s greatness. I know that I cannot achieve greatness as a singer, musician, actress, YouTube star, or scientist and that is ok. I don’t want to be any of those things. That is not what excites me and fills my heart, body, and soul with passion. I want to achieve greatness by helping people know their eternal potential and filling them with the desire to strive for it. I want to be able to lift people out of their depression and see the value of their life just like Jill did for Rachel.

(This was an assignment in my English class for my LDS Pathways courses. There is a book and a website that has a bunch of "This I believe" essays that are fascinating. If you were given the assignment to write about something you believe, what would you write about?)  https://thisibelieve.org/

A Love Letter To Exercise

 Dear Exercise,

Thank you for saving my sanity. When my daughters were younger and I watched other young kids in my home I struggled to stay sane. My days were endlessly filled with the same tasks over and over again. The repeat of diapers, crying kids, and constant battles of what to stay away from never ended. It was all bearable when my feet started to pound the pavement, though. Even as I urged the stroller forward with the wind attempting to stop my progress, you motivated me to continue on. You gave me some happy endorphins. I wanted to run away, but instead running half marathons gave me a goal that kept me home and happy.

 Now that my daughters are older and the house is way too quiet during the day, you still save me. When I go to the gym and strap my shoes into the spin bike pedals and feel the energy of those around me I am home again. Once again I know you are going to challenge me and that you will give me those happy endorphins. The loneliness and doubts of my worth that creep into my mind during those quiet moments melt away as the sweat pours down my face. You remind me that I can do hard things.

Exercise, you have come in many forms over the years. Each one has blessed me during different times in different ways. As a youth, you helped me connect to my family and friends while I swam, rode bikes, and ran with my siblings and our dogs. I still smile at the thought of splashing through puddles on my bike or our basset hounds little legs struggling to keep up while I ran. As a young wife, you helped me to lose weight and feel better about myself. You were there for me after I struggled to deal with my daughter’s birth, with the continued fertility problems, and with a husband joining the military.

You helped me connect with so many ladies at Fort Knox and provided me with friends that will last a lifetime. Their efforts to push their bodies to the limit as our children played on the playground around us inspired me. In Pennsylvania you gave me Tera; our runs together struggling to conquer the hills are treasured memories. In Georgia, LaFae and I ran through the trees around the lake sharing a common goal. The goal of completing a marathon got us both through the difficulties of that year, and helped us grow closer together. Even though neither one of us was able to complete that marathon.

Everywhere I move you have been there for me. At times you may leave me tired and sore, but that reminds me of the blessing of my body. Each muscle and bone is connected and serves a purpose. Those tired muscles you produce teach me to try new things like Yoga and water aerobics.  These things help to decrease the soreness in my body and improve my thought processes.

Sometimes I forget how much you mean to me and I don’t exercise for a day or two. I feel tired, lethargic, and sad without you. My mind wonders what is different and then I remember you. I always end up missing you and find my way back. I know I am happier when I am with you, and you are always there for me.

Thank you for saving me from the depression that is always bubbling under the surface. I am eternally grateful and I love you.

Yours forever,

Jennifer Autry 

(This was an assignment from my English Pathways class. It was a fun writing experience.)

I am curious; if you wrote a love letter to something, what would you write to? 

One Step Enough for Me

"Lead Kindly Light" by John Henry Newman is one of my favorite church songs. It is not one that is sung often, but the poetry and words of the song are so beautiful and meaningful for me.

I usually focus on the lines, "I do not ask to see the distant scene - one step enough for me." When my family was dealing with unemployment and a move and a lot of other stresses I heard that line and sought out the source. That is the first time I remember reading "Lead Kindly Light." Since then I have needed and read this song a lot. Life can be so challenging and I want to know what happens.

I have always wanted to know what happens. As a child I would get a new book and read it obsessively until I found out what happened. Everything around me would melt away or at least I wished it would so that I could find out the ending. When I got married and had kids I realized that I couldn't escape into a book and not take care of my family. So I started to read the ending so that I would be able to finish the book at a slower pace and not be constantly wondering what happens in the end of the book.

Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. There was no last chapter that I could read to see how that time period of unemployment will end. I can't look ahead and see if my children will ever overcome any of their struggles. I had no idea where the path of infertility would lead me or what would happen when my husband joined the military. I wanted to know, but I couldn't. So instead I was simply given one step at a time. Not getting pregnant...ok get fertility testing....still not getting pregnant...ok try medicine...still not getting pregnant...just relax and let go for a while...Wahoo finally pregnant. Those are just some small steps in one small part of my life. I know a lot more now and I am grateful for those steps and the knowledge gained, but I couldn't say that at the time. No, I wanted to know the end.

Last year when my husband was deployed, I thought about this song and I once again wanted to know the ending of that part of our story. Actually, I would have been happy to know the next step because I had no idea where we were even going after John got back from Afghanistan. Instead I read this song again and the spirit whispered to me, "it says one step, not the next step." I realized then that I didn't need to worry about the future. God would take care of that. I knew what I was supposed to do at the moment and that was "good enough for me."

This last week I read and heard this song, "Lead Kindly Light," again and this time I was struck by a new thought. Whoever wrote this and those of us who sing it are asking a question. We are asking for the Light (God) to lead us through life. We are seeking the light of God during our dark moments and throughout our walk on earth. At least in the first and third verses we are seeking the Lord's guidance. During the second verse we are acknowledging that we haven't always sought the Lord's guidance and asking that He not remember those years.

This poem/song was written on a boat while John Henry Newman was recovering from a dangerous illness. John's life had not been an easy one, but it is no surprise that later in his life he became a religious leader in England. We all have our struggles and trials, but I am so glad that we all have a loving Heavenly Father to help us with each step of life. *

We need only ask ("Lead Kindly Light") and as we seek with humble hearts, we can find our way through this life one step at a time.

*https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/articles/lead-kindly-light.html