There is Hope

     This piece of art is entitled ‘Ever Onward’ by Joseph F. Brickey. I love how there is a small parting of the clouds above the company. There is hope.
In a letter Joseph Simmons wrote to Horace K. Whitney six days before bringing the Martin Handcart Company into the Salt Lake Valley, he said, “Almost every day angry storms arise, very threatening and judging from their appearance one would think that we should be unable to withstand the tempest, but the prayers of the holy men of God are heard. The clouds divide to the right and left, letting the saints pass through in safety.” How many of us are faced with trying, difficult situations and burdens that seem to heavy to bear? When we feel that we, like the saints who courageously crossed the frozen plains, cannot take one step further we need to look heavenward and see the clouds divide on the right and left. We cannot lose hope in the midst of the storm. We cannot sit and wait for the storm to pass. We must find joy in the middle of the storm and celebrate the division of the clouds. We will pass through the storm in safety and can learn to celebrate the small rays of sunlight that come on the right side and on the left, until eventually we have clear, sunny skies and have finished our own journey.