1
She felt the depth of her losses before they were realized, and she wondered, Is there still hope? Did she even dare hold on to such a tenuous thing as hope?Sage Steadman
2
They looked to each other for support, for strength, and at times, motivation, to remember why and for whom they lived.Sage Steadman
3
She had walked to the brink, abandoning all belief, and just before the bitter end, she was pulled from the abyss by faith.Sage Steadman
4
She took comfort in the familiarity of his smell, knowing that if she lost all her possessions and her home, at least she would have her family.Sage Steadman
5
The boy’s skeletal frame was now all that remained of him, and through his flesh could be seen the steady beat of his indomitable heart.Sage Steadman
6
He was not being courageous as he bore the freezing stream for his wife and children. He simply chose between the lesser of two evils–the pain and suffering he would endure in the river, a physical pain that he could stand to bear, or the pain and suffering he would feel if he had to watch his family wade across and freeze. It was not a decision. The choice had already been made the moment Ole proposed marriage to his wife and welcomed these beautiful daughters into the world. .Sage Steadman
7
In a matter of moments, I awakened to a life that wasn’t mine. It was like peering into a dark hidden world that I wasn’t supposed to know about and that my mind didn’t want to believe existed.Mike Ericksen
8
Her sadness was like a deep well just beneath the surface of her determination.Sage Steadman
9
I knew in that moment that everything happens for a reason, but we can’t always know the reason when the journey begins. Some things we can only understand at the end of our journey.Mike Ericksen
10
If there was one thing I learned from all my research, it was that the majority of the early pioneers didn’t dwell on the hard times; they indeed related every aspect of their lives to their relationship with God, specifically in regards to this disastrous journey. They thanked Him for their lives and the fact that they made it through. Most didn't blame leaders or those around them. They learned to accept their plight and move forward with faith. .Mike Ericksen
11
I don’t think my journey has to be harrowing to be important. Simply doing the tasks of the day is enough. Such as getting up every morning to go to work to support my family and sacrificing personal time in service to others, teaching my children to give thanks for what they have and to care for others.Mike Ericksen
12
I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I’m going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.Mike Ericksen
13
She considered what had made Denmark home to her anyway. Was it the sense of familiarity? That wherever she went there were echoes of a hundred memories she could pluck from her thoughts?Sage Steadman
14
Some had come to look upon death as a mercy. Death meant warmth. Death was light. Life was cruel, cold, heavy and dark. Life was pain. Death was deliverance, and many would welcome it. Others doggedly clung to life and willed themselves to walk on.Sage Steadman
15
They could have fought against it, begged for another way or gone off the path in hopes of finding an easier passage. Instead, they looked upon the trail ahead, the rough ridge, now bound by thick snow, and they accepted the path they had chosen.Sage Steadman
16
...my mind drifted to my family. I thought about how I had the opportunity to serve them. I didn’t have to carry them across a freezing river in the middle of a snowstorm or give them my food when they didn’t have enough. There would be other streams they would need help to cross, and I’d be there for them, always and in whatever way they needed me.Mike Ericksen
17
They left their encampment with dirt-covered linen strewn about the abandoned grounds amongst clothes, shoes, children’s toys and other discarded belongings. The handcart wheels crunched over them, and the dry wheels screamed as the Willie Company started for Zion.Sage Steadman
18
The things that matter most to me are eternal. The bonds of love shared within a family I believe to be eternal.Mike Ericksen
19
In my mind, past, present and future became a blur as I stood in the middle of the celestial room, in the middle of forever. It was as if I were to take a rope that went on forever in both directions and cut it anywhere then the cut would always be exactly in the middle. And if I cut it twice I would have a beginning and an end, but eternity would continue in both directions.Mike Ericksen