Family reunion

Demke Cowboys out on the range

A few of the Demke/McKenna/Hess kids

I am currently recovering from a "family high."  My niece Jerusha, a champion organizer, pulled together an amazing reunion for the families of Sheldon and Neldon Demke.  Included were all my children and their families, my sister and her husband and all their children (less one on a mission in South America) and families.  All together there were about 48 people.

Tatum and Afton riding with grandma

Slip 'n slide

My grown up children

We occupied a large and lovely lodge on Fish Haven Creek near Bear Lake, Idaho.  This is some of the most spectacular scenery!   It was all I could do to drive safely with so much to look at along the way.  Our time there was well organized with each delicious meal being prepared by a different family.  Activities were planned for all interests and age groups and included games, crafts, slip and slide, feats of strength, daily trips to the lake, and culminated in a sweet and spiritual Sacrament meeting Sunday morning.   At least half the participants were children.  Miraculously, there were no serious injuries, quarrels or tantrums.  The entire time was imbued with the sweetest feelings of love and companionship.  I spent a few sad moments regretting that Sheldon wasn't able to be a part of such a gathering, then more and more I started to realize that he was a very real part of our reunion.

The last of my posterity left town yesterday.  Their departure has left a hole in my soul, but it is filled daily with the knowledge that we are united by far more than time and geography.  I am so grateful to be part of an Eternal family.

A friend of mine works in the Salt Lake temple the day before he works in the library with me.  One day a while back he looked especially tired.  He explained that the day before he had worked in the baptistry and that it was Prom night.  When I failed to see the connection, he told me that Prom day is the busiest day of the year in the baptistry as it is a tradition for young men and women to come to the temple and do work before going out to dinner and dance.  I couldn't help contrasting that with the way most of the world views prom night, as a time to get drunk, get a hotel room, and get into trouble.
While there is no doubt that there is a great and growing wickedness in the world at large, I would propose that there is an opposing movement for good, growing just as rapidly.  A few examples:
Everyday I see people of all faiths drawn to the family history library, wanting to know about their heritage.  I'm sure that many of them are being pushed there by their unseen ancestors who are eager for them to be their advocates in the mortal world.  The fact that they are responding to these promptings tells me that they are a part of the great movement for good in the world.

I have referred before to the fact that from a prominent point on a familiar horse trail I can see 3 operating temples.  (One lit up behind Sam in this photo)  Within the 60 mile radius of my mission there are at least 7 more.  Within an easy drive of my home in California I can attend 5 temples. Temples are now in very part of the world.  These are busy places, full of people who are trying to live good lives and care enough about each other to take time so that others can share the blessings they have.  Most do so on a regular basis.
I am in awe of the young people in my life, especially my own children, who I see working so hard, tirelessly raising their children to have strong values in a world that increasingly belittles them.  It is not easy to choose the good path, but the rewards are great and very real.
Today our Sunday school teacher quoted Hezekiah to us.  Hezekiah has helped his people prepare for the coming siege of the Assyrians.  He says to his people (paraphrasing), "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the [world] nor all the multitude that is with them: for there be more with us than with them. . . with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles."
And so I would propose that as the polarization of our planet increases we each take the attitude of Hezekiah.  Be strong and courageous, be not dismayed.  Every time we make a good choice we are enlisting legions of angels to back us up.  We are not alone.  We know good will ultimately prevail.

Rescue

I had a couple of adventures on horseback during the past 2 weeks. The first happened when I took my brother Toby out for a ride. I put him on David's horse Pancho and I rode Jerusha's horse Norman. Norman is a sweet and reliable mount who would be considered safe for almost any rider. At one point in the ride Toby decided to go on ahead and I attempted to turn back. Norman objected to the separation from his herd and started to buck. Now I've been on a lot of horses, many misbehaving in many ways, but I've never ridden a bucking horse. This was genuine rodeo style bucking, head down and hind feet in the air. It didn't take me long to realize why the rodeo cowboys get big bucks for this and that I was no rodeo cowboy. I decided to stop trying to correct Norman in hopes that he would relax, but without the bit he just took off, still bucking. I knew I couldn't sit this and, just in time, a soft grassy hill sped up on the left. I landed gently on the hill, got up quickly, grateful for my rescue from what could have been a dangerous situation. Norman and I both survived to ride another day.

Thursday I went riding with my friend Debbie and her sister Sandy. This time the horses were hot and tired before we left the barn. One minute out we were confronted by what could only be described as a herd of children (about 50, average age maybe 12), jogging down the main horse path to our trails. One look at this noisy, erratic mob coming towards us and I knew we were in trouble. Horses are basically prey animals and at their core, reactive. We train them to think, to obey, to be desensitized to most of the things they might encounter on the trail, but I knew these horses had never seen anything like this. To them it must have looked like a growling, prowling herd of mountain lions coming to eat them. The reactive brain took over. Each of us felt our mounts tense and Norman spun on his heels and ran for all he was worth in the other direction. Herd mentality took over and the other two horses followed. This was no gentle canter down the lane. These were three horses racing for their lives at top speed, in spite of the pleadings of their riders. My horse, being the fastest among them quickly overtook the other too. With a little distance we were able to remind them of their training again and the reasonable side of their brains came back. We had an exciting ride, but everyone stayed on and no one was any worse for it.

These two experiences reminded me why I pray for protection every single ride, and every day. The world is a dangerous place, and every day I am delivered, rescued even, in ways big and small, by the Lord.

Protection from physical danger is the least of these rescues. There are worse dangers to our souls than getting bucked off a horse. The world offers countless evils that would bruise and even destroy our Spiritual natures. We need to protect ourselves and our loved ones, and be constantly prayerful as we seek deliverance from soul-destroying influences.

We also have the opportunity to rescue others along the way. Many ride through this life unaware of the dangers around them. We can be a beacon, a lifeline, a saving influence to them.

One of the great joys of my current situation is being able to research and do saving ordinances for my family and friends. Every time you go to the temple, every time you share your testimony, every time you offer help to another human being, you are sharing in the great rescue mission that is mortal life.