Pioneer Story Quilt- Unwavering Committment

Children,

Stars are a common theme in quilts.  I love this pattern called the "Ohio Star".  Stars represent something in our life that is so constant and unchanging that it can be used as a guide.

There is so much chaos and confusion in life.  You will need something to guide you.  The pioneers had their faith to guide them.  It helped them ignore or look past the day-to-day distractions.  Here's a story that's a good example:

George Cunningham was 15 years old when he left his native
Scotland with his parents and three sisters to gather to Zion.
George had begun working in a coal pit when he was only 7
years old to help support his family. He worked there for 6
years, sometimes for 12 to 14 hours a day. The air was bad in
the coal pit, and he sometimes wouldn’t see the sun except
on Sunday, his only day off. His family, who had joined the
Church shortly after George’s birth, was grateful when the
way opened for them to emigrate. George thanked God for
his blessings when he arrived in America, a country he had
been taught to believe was a “land of promise.”  

Twenty years after arriving in America, George wrote a detailed
reminiscence that included memories of his experiences
with the Willie company. He recorded that while the
company was crossing Iowa, “people would mock, sneer,
and deride us on every occasion for being such fools as
they termed us, and would often throw out inducements
to get us to stop. But we told them we were going to Zion
and would not stop on any account.” George, who was a
teenager at the time, didn’t allow the mockery to deter him.
“People would turn out in crowds to laugh at us, crying ‘gee’
and ‘haw’ as if we were oxen. But this did not discourage
us in the least, for we knew that we were on the right track.
That was enough.” 

Darling children, life will have it's challenges.  There will be times when others don't see what you see with your eyes of faith.  They might make fun or tease you for the choices you will make.  Mockery seems to be a favorite tool of our adversary.   Focus on your covenants and your faith, during the easy times and the hard times.  Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and move forward with courage and determination.

I love you,

Mom