Day 205: If you live in Utah, it’s a state holiday today! We celebrate the Days of ‘47 in these parts, 1847, that is, when the pioneers rolled their handcarts into the Salt Lake Valley. We commemorate the event with parades and rodeos and picnics.
Even though I didn’t grow up in Utah, it was still a holiday for us, because our ancestry is dotted with pioneers. It turns out we owe our lives to many people who endured great difficulty in their lifetimes to make our lives better. So much better.
I wonder what they think of us, with our cell phones and airplanes, that shorten the insurmountable distances they faced, to instantaneous communications and five-hour cross-country flights.
My mother kept their memories alive, as did my grandmothers. They told stories. They shared brittle black-and-white photos of weathered unsmiling people. We pulled taffy and churned ice cream, even though those items were a special and rare treat for the people in the photographs.
Today, we’ll gather our kids and grandkids together and celebrate the holiday with water balloons and BBQ. But there will also be taffy to pull and ice cream to churn, in honor of our ancestors, and in honor of my mother, who kept their stories alive.
Our days are easier. Our celebrations, more grand. It’s our turn to teach the next generation why that is so. Remember, remember the pioneers. #Momscompanytowels #pioneersandmodernday #pioneerday #daysof47
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