The Importance of Remembrance

 

 

I'm giving a talk in church tomorrow.  Here it is:

I was given my first diary for Easter when I was eight years old. For Christmas, the next year I was given my first camera. Shortly before my fifteenth birthday I began writing in my journal on a daily basis. I started scrapbooking when I was nineteen, when my husband (my then boyfriend) left on his mission. And five years ago I began our family blog. Now that you know I am an avid life-documenter, you can probably guess that the word REMEMBER is a special word to me.

As the wife and mother in a family of seven, there are lots of things in our daily lives to document. In fact, right now I feel like life is on fire. Every day I feel like I am racing through it. Sometimes in all of the hustle and bustle it can be easy to FORGET the little things that are of huge importance.

Today I'd like to share some of my thoughts on The Importance Of Remembrance.

What do I want to remember?

First, I'd like to talk a little bit about today- Remembrance Day and why we celebrate this holiday. I read a lot and my favorite genre is Historical Fiction. I've read a lot set during World War II, but recently I read my first book set in World War I. Obviously, it was a terrible time. Remembrance Day is a memorial of the ending of hostilities in World War I with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day, or Armistice Day and is observed in Canada, and most of the Commonwealth Nations. There are similar holidays such as Veterans Day in the US, and others throughout Europe, Asia, and even Israel. It was originally celebrated to honor those in the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Now it also honors all the men and women who have served, and continue to serve this country during times of war, conflict and peace. In ceremonies across the country two minutes of silence are observed at 11:00 am. Usually, there are two poems read as well.

The first is from the point of view of a fallen soldier- the famous In Flanders fields by John McCrae, and I'd like to read it now:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I have never experienced war first hand, and I pray I never will. These brave men and boys did face that ugly reality and sacrificed everything- their lives, so we can enjoy all of the beauty, happiness, and freedoms (especially the freedom of religion) that we have. I will always be humbled by their example and I will hold their torch up high and not break faith with them.

This second poem I'd like to read is from our- the beneficiaries of their bravery- point of view. It is an extract from the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon- The Act of Remembrance:

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them.

Not only did the brave soldiers give a sacrifice, but so did their families- their parents, siblings, spouses, and children sacrificed them. I am thankful for their family's sacrifice as well.

There's a famous quote by the great Spanish philosopher George Santayana who lived from 1863-1952. He said : "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." While I want to repeat all of the good things in history, I do not want to repeat any of the horrors. We must remember to guard ourselves against this.

I will remember the soldiers who sacrificed so I can enjoy peace and freedom.

Many countries of the world today are ran by Presidents who are truly Dictators in disguise. Their citizens have no voice in how their countries are governed. If they do try to speak up they are forever silenced. I am grateful that I live in a democracy here in Canada. I am grateful that while I was raised in the US, I was taught to appreciate the right to vote. This past week in my homeland we had our Presidential Election. Even though I am not living there now, I was still able to cast my absentee ballot and let my opinion on the different candidates and issues be heard. I see voting as a responsibility and a privilege. As a woman, it amazes me that women didn't have the right to vote 100 years ago. In 1920 my great-grandmother who I shared of in my testimony last week, would have been 32 the first time she was allowed to vote. I am grateful for the suffragettes here in Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand who fought for me and all of my women friends to have the right to vote.

I will remember the suffragettes who fought so I can have a say in how I am governed.

Another people I am forever grateful to and thankful for are the early Pioneers in our church.

A year and a half after Joseph Smith's death, Brigham Young began to lead the Saints west.

Nauvoo was the third gathering place of the Saints and it must have felt like a refuge after the pain and sorrow they had endured in Missouri and Ohio. In Nauvoo the Saints had built nice homes and established farms, planted trees to enjoy in the future and built a beautiful temple.

In the middle of winter they had to abandon their homes, their farms, and their temple. They had to choose which of their belongings they could take with them in their wagons as they left across a frozen river.

They had to travel in freezing temperatures, pouring rain, and thick mud. They had to pool their resources and struggle against sickness and death. The Saints moved slowly, with advance teams establishing stations for those who followed behind them and eventually established a camp known as Winter Quarters.

It was from Winter Quarters that Brigham Young lead another advance team across the Great Plains and into the vast mountain ranges that lead eventually to what is now Utah.

Over the following years thousands of saints would follow this lead, carrying their possessions in wagons or handcarts. They would endure hardships of fatigue, sickness, exposure to the elements, and even death.

And where did they settle? In a barren land that was over a thousand miles from the nearest settlements to the east, and 800 miles to the Pacific Ocean in the west. They had never built there before, never grown crops there before.

But having settled in a desert, they worked hard to fulfill the scripture in Isaiah 35:1- The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. They built houses - first little sod huts and then log homes. They planted fields and eventually built vast irrigation networks. They built great cities and small towns and spread across what is now Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Eventually they would colonize northern Mexico and southern Alberta. And despite having lost two temples in Kirtland and Nauvoo, they began again to build temples to the Most High.

July 24th - the day that Brigham's first company entered the Salt Lake valley is now Utah's state holiday. It was chosen to help the people remember the sacrifices of those pioneers who gave up their comfortable lives to struggle across the wilderness and to build a new home in a desert for the Saints to be able to practice their religion in peace.

We may not be the physical descendants of those early Saints, but each of us are their spiritual descendants. We are able to meet together this Sunday morning in the chapel because those early Saints - faced with the choice of abandoning their faith or abandoning their comfort - chose to give up their worldly goods to preserve the spiritual. And like the soldiers we remember today, many of them gave their lives so that we could continue to worship.

I will remember the pioneers who helped re-establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Why did the pioneers sacrifice so much? Because they had a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I too have a testimony of this gospel and am so grateful for our prophets past and present.

Our prophets from the past recorded their dealings with God that make up our scriptures. I'd like to share some of my favorite scriptures about remembering with you now.

Isaiah 49:15-16- [I will] not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.

I will remember that the Savior will never forget me.

1 Nephi 15:25- Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.

I will remember to read the scriptures and keep the commandments.

1 Thessalonians 1:3- Remember[ing] without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

I will remember to always do good works.

Doctrine and Covenants 42:30- And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken.

I will remember the poor, the orphan, the widow, the lonely. I will remember to serve and share and be a good friend.

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10- Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

I will remember to love others and share the gospel.

Mormon 5:21- And also the Lord will remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them.

I will remember to pray and I will remember that the Lord hears my prayers.

Moroni 6:6- And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

I will remember to partake of the sacrament.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:42- Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

I will remember to repent and the Lord will not remember my sins. I will forgive and forget the sins of others, but I will remember my past sins so as not to repeat them.

Doctrine and Covenants 4:6- Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.

I will remember to act like a child of God.

2 Timothy 2:8- Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

I will remember that Jesus Christ was resurrected and that I will be too one day.

Our modern day prophets have also taught us much about the gospel and how to live our day-to-day lives. I tend to look to the past with rose-colored glasses, imagining that everything was wholesome and all were righteous in the good-ol' days. Often I see all the evil in the world now and become afraid. But there is more good in the world than there ever was before. I'd like to share some of my favorite quotes from our modern prophets:

Brigham Young said, “God established and taught his gospel in the beginning, revealed it anew in various dispensations amid periods of apostasy, and has now restored it in this last age. This final dispensation of all dispensations will excel in magnificence and glory every dispensation that has ever been committed to the children of men upon the earth.”

I will remember that this dispensation of the gospel will never be taken from the earth.

Gordon B. Hinckley explained, "There is something of divinity within each of you. You have such tremendous potential with that quality as a part of your inherited nature. Every one of you was endowed by your Father in Heaven with a tremendous capacity to do good in the world."

I will remember that I have a divine nature and will make the world a better place.

Boyd K. Packer taught, “The ultimate purpose of all we teach is to unite parents and children in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, linked to their generations, and assured of exaltation in the presence of our Heavenly Father.”

I will remember to teach my children, be a good wife and mother, serve in the temple, and have faith in my exaltation.

After sharing all of these thoughts of what I want to remember, I've also been thinking about what I'd like others to remember about me.

Gordon B. Hinckley said, "You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep a record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of those meaningful and significant things. Some may be funny. Some may be significant only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experiences."

I will remember to keep a journal, so others may feel my testimony and learn from my experiences.

Helen Keller shared, “Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.”

Doctrine and Covenants 68:6 expounds on this with- Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

I want others to remember that I was a person of good cheer and hard work and that I strove to follow the Savior.

I'd like to conclude with one final quote by Brigham Young. “We are not in the same attitude that the people were a few thousand years ago- they were depending on the Prophet or Prophets, or on having immediate revelation for themselves to know the will of the Lord, without the record of their predecessors, while we have the records of those who have lived before us, also the testimony of the Holy Spirit; and, to the satisfaction of all who desire a testimony, we can turn to this book and read that which we believe, learn the object of our pursuit, the end that we expect to accomplish- the end of the race as far as mortality is concerned- and the fulness of the glory that is beyond this vale of tears; consequently we have the advantage of those who lived before us.”

It is my prayer that we will remember them.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.