My Mother delivered my sister, 8 days after our country stepped into WW2. Can you even imagine the horror and fright and uncertainty? The fear of all the unknown including medical care. I distinctly remember the night my Mother went into labor. I was 2-1/2. She was sitting in a chair embroidering and I was standing by her and would hand her the color thread she asked me for. A knock came at the door, she stood to answer it and I saw some blood on the chair and told her she had hurt herself with the needle. The man was an air-raid marshal and he had on a gas mask with a hose over the front. For most years of my life I claimed an elephant man came into the house. It took years before my mother pieced the story together. I think I told this before but it has been on my mind today.
I remember ration books and black out blinds and hushed adult voices that made me uneasy and a feeling of unity. What I would now describe as camaraderie. I remember my Mother and Aunt Bonnie and my Grandmother talking and figuring out how to maximize the coupons. My parents gave me a sense that all was okay when it really wasn't. The blackout blinds and the air raid sirens made you scared. And yet they still managed to comfort by not going to pieces except for those hushed voices.
In Anchorage I remember a friend who related a story about shoe rationing and how he later found that his Mother would use her rationing tickets to get shoes for her growing children and not herself. one day he saw her putting cardboard in her shoes and found out why she never got new shoes for herself. He said he was so careful with his shoes after that as up to that point he was rather careless.
Putting myself in my Mother's shoes today just makes me wish she was here to tell me more details of her emotions. She was not an emotional person but she did share that it was a frightening time. But they all pulled together....the entire country. Every person united and planned their work and worked their plan.
I know the last days will be horrible and have read the signs. In this very time period so many are evident. I stay at peace in knowing it's foretold of the natural calamities, and vileness, and killings but for some reason I never considered the Country collapsing and people voting for nonsense.
My thankfulness to get through this never-going-to-end story is the fact that we have been told that the Church will never be taken from the earth! That the Gospel will be here! In it's fullness!! We will continue to have living prophets! We can always find peace through the provisions of the Gospel.
I see the world gearing up for battle and I see the Church doing the same identical thing! Definitely not on the same side but the Church putting up the shields of protection for the Saints, that desire to battle for the Lord and protect themselves from what can't be stopped.
Daily I see the Church embrace new technology in every single way possible. Lots and lots of it! To strengthen members and educate the curious. New age limits on Missionaries. New teaching tactics for youth.
I hear of Ward buildings being built to offer the safety and protection of Stakes.
And Temples!!! more and more and more of them.
All of these things will protect us and provide peace are the very things that will cause others to say...Let's go up to Zion. There is peace in Zion. I love that thought.
I think back to the children of Israel way back in (Ex. 12:22-29) being told to strike blood over the lintel and sidepost and their babies 2 and under would be spared. those that did this seemingly senseless act had the blessing of their children being spared. And also the time (Num. 21:7-9) when fiery poisonous snakes, true to the description, would bite and kill. A simple request...look at the brazen snake on a pole and you will live. Some chose their own death because they felt it was to simple. (Alma 33:19-21) Those who did look were spared. This story was mentioned right off in 1 Nephi 17:40-41 and Alma 37:46 and Hel. 8:14-15 and others but I'm to tired to look them up. The law of witnesses is in effect here and this makes it very powerful and important to pay attention to these stories of obedience.
The message to me is the best thing we can do for ourselves in the midst of so much calamities is to prepare our selves spiritual and our families are included in that. The above scriptures have great underlying messages about the blessings of obedience. Okay. I'm babbling. sorry.
When I think of December-7-1941-- a war started that needed the full support of everyone. I think of how none of this was easy to do but the solution was simple....we ban together and we fight.
I see two armies gathering forces and people choosing one or the other. My mind fills with hymns, doesn't yours? Who's on the Lord's Side, Who? -- Christian Soldiers -- God Speed the Right
This is probably a disjointed blog but I'm going to leave it as such.
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I want to see this movie. Yes. I'm going to see it. see here
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