Hallelujah

So, I woke up this morning singing the Hallelujah Chorus in my head.  I'm not sure why it's there, but I guess it's a good thing.  There could be worse things running through my mind. It is a beautiful day (in spite of the heat) and just a great day to sing Hallelujah!

I have been blessed with a good life.  I have a wonderful family, and a very blessed heritage and situation in life. I have recently been reading the book Fresh Courage Take, by Dean Hughes, his third book in a series based on the early days of the LDS (Mormon) church and the trials of the Mormon pioneers.  This latest book tells of the men who volunteered to be a part of the Mormon Battalion of the US Army headed to the War with Mexico.  Though none of the men lost their lives in Battle and they were able to earn much needed money to help the saints who had been pushed out of Nauvoo, they faced much hardship, many died from other accidents and illness, and most crossed the southern US desserts in dire straits without adequate food and water and clothing, many ending up absolutely barefoot for the last months of their march and subsequent journey by foot to the new settlement in Utah.  These men also left their wives and children behind with only tents and wagons to live in and fend for themselves during the cold and illness at winter quarters and their own trek across the plains.

Parts of the story were very hard for me to read as I think of my own blessings.  I have ancestors who lived through these times and went through similar experiences to those of the characters in this book, and each generation since then has worked hard to provide their posterity with a better life. So, yes, I do have reason to be singing Hallelujah.