Greetings! I hope you all are doing well out there in the universe. I'm doing okay after being snowed in for the weekend (Yes, we are on the East Coast!) Four feet of snow and a driveway with a 60 degree incline can cause a bit of havoc. At any rate, here is the Gratitude List:
1. Blow Dryers
(They come in handy when you have to warm up the pups after taking them out to potty! The snow had them drenched, poor things.)
2. Snow Boots
(My sweet husband talked me into buying boots that had killer traction. I'm very grateful to him because the boots I was going to buy were higher in cut but had no grip on the bottom. These new boots keep my feet fairly warm and are sturdy little creatures!)
3. Snow Days!
(It has been amazingly nice to have my husband home from work and to have the peace of mind of knowing he is safe and sound. I worry a great deal when he is on the road and the fact that ice forms so quickly ... I'm really happy his school district made the right call, for both their employees and their students!)
4. The Gospel
(This has been an amazingly hard January. My heart has been weighed down by a lot of sadness. Several friends have left the church. A close family member is considering doing the same. There have been deaths, both of people I knew personally and some I only admired from afar. All of these heavy matters have been pulling down on me ... which is why I am so grateful for the gospel and the light that it provides. People may deny truth, whether they allow themselves to be blinded or not, but that does not change the nature of what is true. Our bodies may pass away but our souls are eternal. And there is much comfort in the gospel for those who seek after Christ.)
5. My Writing Partner
(I know I've mentioned her before, but our stories are such a good outlet for my creative mind. She was able to resurface for a bit and write with me a little while this week and I had an enjoyable time and I feel less frustrated with how this particular story is progressing.)
The Gathering
This week we did something different at the Gathering on Thursday. We broke up into groups and worked on making a skit based on a specific set of scriptures. My group worked on Captain Moroni's battle with Zarahemnah. For those not in the know, Moroni was the captain of a host of people, known as the Nephites, who were being attacked by another group of people, known as the Lamanites. Moroni was twenty five when he was put in charge of the armies of his people. Can you imagine having such responsibility at such a young age? I can't. But he took the position and he set up part of his army, before going to ask the Prophet Alma to please ask the Lord where the Lamanites were going to attack next. Alma did so, and Moroni took the information and positioned the rest of his army so that he effectively surrounded the Lamanites and cut off their retreat. He gave a stirring speech to his own men, reminding them of their wives, their children, their land, and their freedom that they were frighting for. They were outnumbered, two to one, and even though they were scared, they fought courageously and they defeated their enemy.
Now, there is more to this story. For one, the Nephites wore armor. We're talking helmets, chest plates, gauntlets and the like. This armor protected them from the weapons of the Lamanites, who did not wear armor. The Lamanites came at them with a fury, but their lack of protection proved a very bad decision. Also, their choice of leader was not so great. Zarahemnah, when the fighting came to a standstill, was offered a chance to surrender by Moroni. He declined and when the battle continued, one of Moroni's men scalped him (literally). After losing his hair, he retreated and was later killed.
What struck me the most, about this particular story, which is found in the Book of Mormon, is that Captain Moroni offered the Lamanites a chance at peace. He was on the winning side. He stopped the fighting to offer them a chance to surrender (hand over their weapons and swear an oath to never return and make war upon the people of Nephi again). He did not delight in shedding blood, although, you can see from the strategies he employed (recon scouts, armoring his fighters, etc.) that he was very good at it. He had the patience to allow those who chose to walk away from the battle the chance to hand over their weapons and go home. I think that was both wise and noble. Even after the fighting recommenced, when it was clear that Moroni's army had won the day, he called for a halt and, again, offered the chance to surrender, which was taken on the second go round. I was really touched by how compassionate he was, even in the midst of battle and bloodshed. I don't think I can actually recall, anywhere in history, where the victor offered their enemy a chance to surrender (that didn't lead to bondage or enslavement). Usually, in cases like this, the winner ends up slaughtering the opposition, because they had been given the chance to stop the fighting once already. I think more leaders should be like Moroni, careful, calculating, yet still holding to the principles of compassion, treating everyone with respect.
In our skit, we talked about the superiority of the armor of the Nephites. We demonstrated the drawbacks of the Lamanites being so exposed to the weapons of the Nephites. We spoke about Moroni's offer of peace to Zarahemnah and his enemy's refusal to accept that peace. Being a part of the scenario helped me to think more deeply about the event itself. We were also able to watch the skits performed by the other members of the class. One of them read the speech Moroni makes when he tears his coat and writes upon it: In Memory of our God, our Religion, and Freedom, and our Peace, our Wives, and our Children. Then he put the coat upon a pole and used it as a banner to draw the people together, at which point he dropped to his knees and prayed "mightily unto God, for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren" ... The standard is called the Title of Liberty and it was very inspirational to hear those words read out loud with passion and deep feeling.
I think we should all strive to be more like Captain Moroni. We should recognize that there are things worth fighting for, that we have a duty to protect our families, our lands, and our religious freedoms. We should also recognize that it is a strength to show mercy, and that we need not lose ourselves in the anger and rage of warfare. We need not become hardened by the world around us. You can still stand up for the right thing and be a just person. (I wish we had leaders that ascribed to this ideal).
That is all I have to share with you today, my lovelies! I hope you have all had a restful (and warm and dry) week! If you are interested in the Pathway program, drop me a note in the comments section and I'll direct you to where you can get more information on the subject! Til next time, stay safe and be kind to one another!
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