This year for Pioneer Day we wanted to do something more than just hang around the house and have a BBQ. I was feeling particularly inspired after having a special Primary Sharing Time lesson where I invited eight kids (four in each primary) to dress up and share a pioneer story of their ancestors. It was faith filled and inspiring. I wanted us to do something more pioneer-focused and special. I noticed that Logan was having their Pioneer Day Celebration. We always try to take a "Logan Day" during the summer so we thought that it would be perfect to go to a Pioneer town, which also happens to be our favorite town in Utah! Unfortunately "Pioneer Days" didn't have much to do with the pioneers at all. I feel sad that people feel so pressured to not "push our religion" on other people that we can't even mention the Pioneers on the day that the State has set aside to celebrate them. It just seems like even if you aren't LDS, and even if you don't talk about their faith or love for the Lord, there are still so many lessons and good things that can come from celebrating their sacrifices and learning about their lives and what it was like for them to settle in Utah. It's sad to me. I think in the future we will be better at planning and try to do some of the "Days of 47 stuff". There was literally no mention of the pioneers (mormon or not) in the entire celebration (parade, activities, everything) other than a privately funded and unmarked section of the parade with people pulling handcarts (no sign or anything, but I found out later it's just a family who enters their handcarts in the parade every year).
Setting my disappointment aside, though, we had a great day in Logan. It was nice to just detach from everything and focus solely on being together. Plus, it was nice to have the parade and activities to do, because sometimes it's hard to go to Logan with our kids because there isn't much for us to do with them there. It worked out nicely.
Eating lunch at our grassy and shady parade spot.
Eating ice cream (using coupons that were handed out at the parade).
Giving the kids a tour of all our old apartments/stomping grounds. Our first married apartment at 464 N 500 E, Old Farm (David) and Pineview (Shantel).
"Pioneer Playground" (not) The kids made safari hats and vests. They also had hair spray paint and kids temporary tattoos, but we didn't do those. (But seriously, what does any of that have to do with the pioneers. It was no pioneer playground. But, letting go of that -the kids had fun with their Safari hats.)
The kids convinced us to let them go on the bounce houses. Always a hit.
We love this temple!
Can't go to Logan without going to 1st Dam. We ate lunch, tried really hard to fly our kite in the gentle breeze, and enjoyed wading in the water. (I'll be honest, the water was so cold I basically only stayed in to get a picture - but the kids enjoyed it.)
All in all a nice day spent in Logan. We love it up there. But to satisfy my Pioneer Day celebration needs, here are a couple of quotes I've been thinking about:
"We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from the pioneers who came before us is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lord and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did our faithful pioneers." - M. Russell Ballard
"Pioneer faith is needed as much in the world today as in any period of time." L. Tom Perry
"The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart, He's asking us to fortify our faith. He isn't asking us to walk across a continent. He's asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn't asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple. He's asking us to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death, He's asking us to live a disciple's life." M. Russell Ballard
I love these thoughts and hope that my legacy can be one of faith and love, just as these mighty men and women who came before.
