So, I went and participated with my family, in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was a very challenging experience. The first week was blisteringly, drippingly hot. We had heat indexes of 105!!! In that hot and humid weather, I was walking back and forth to our camp...going back and forth to the potty with ML, preparing outdoor meals, and hiking an outdoor hillside stage for rehearsals, most of the time with ML on my hip. As you can see from the above picture, I literally dripped with sweat from the moment I awoke, till well into the night. I had a very difficult time enjoying my experience, because I was overwhelmed with my physical discomfort. In the realm of TMI...I was so drippingly sweaty, that my underclothes were constantly damp. Do you know what happens when your body is always sweaty, and you are walking all over the place? I will tell you...you chafe...you get sores...you apply antifungal cream and weep as you lay in your tent consumed with exhaustion and discomfort!
I struggled within myself, because I saw all these people smiling and giving cheery greetings...working just as hard, or harder than I was. I wanted to be a good sport, but often could not move beyond the physical self. But as I continued to attend to my responsibilities, and worked to focus on the spirit of the wonderful place where I was at...I felt a change. At first, I just pasted the smile on my face.....
But then I started to notice that I was really feeling very happy..joyful...full of the Spirit. The meetings that we attended seemed to become richer and more fulfilling. I felt humbled to be part of such a great work. At one particular devotional, we had a speaker talk about overcoming the "natural man." It really struck me deeply...this concept of our bodies and spirits...working together, or NOT working together. For the start of the week, my body was the strongest...and its discomfort clouded my ability to feel the wonderful spirit that was all around me. But as the week progressed, my spirit gained strength..I was still uncomfortable, but that discomfort did not rule me. I continued to think on this concept and work hard at being open to the beauty all around me...the beauty of the earth, the people, myself, the gospel, the music...the days got better and better!
This long and hard time taught me a great deal about myself, about the balance of my physical self with my spiritual self, and about prioritizing. I come away from this experience with a firmer belief in God, Jesus Christ, and a calm assurance that Joseph Smith restored God's gospel on earth in the latter days. I also have refreshed my vision...I see ahead of me more growth and steps that will continue to bring me strenth and joy!