Wagon after wagon,
pioneers journeyed west.
Unfamiliar with what was ahead, they ventured through each challenging day.
Wheels grinding over rocks and cactus, pans clanging against each other, while women kept their skirts from becoming tangled in wagon wheels; chatting and holding tired toddlers.
Dust flying, harsh weather, rugged plains, blue skies forever.
Wagon trains trailed the prairie ocean.
Families left all they knew, traveling together with strangers, to reach a common destination.
It wasn't easy.
Nothing worth anything ever is.
Along the way, they encountered tough times - accidents, sickness, death.
'Nothing harder than burying a loved one.
They knew all about it.
But, they continued. Day after treacherous day.
Wagon trains, bound by people on a journey, becoming their own community for a time.
We're not so diffierent.
Our wagon train of homes is settled on these eastern plains.
We know the harshness of the weather.
We know the dust and wind.
We understand.
Recently we shared tragedy and heartbreak.
The month of March left our wagons filled with tears and holes.
Tragedy after tragedy.
We had to stop.
There was no way to go on.
Tears and sleepless nights filled with prayers filled many
hearts and homes in our camp.
Has the dust settled yet?
I'm not sure.
What can we do?
We need to circle the wagons.
Pioneers did that when they stopped for the night - for safety.
They did it, to keep watch.
They were tired, dirty, homesick, heartbroken.
They may have lost a loved one along the way.
Whether they knew each other or not, they were on the journey together.
And so are we.
We need to be there for our neighbors.
Be tenderhearted and forgiving.
Be the shoulder someone needs.
Bring encouragement to a broken soul.
We need to be able to say to those around us,
"I've got your back."
We need to circle the wagons.
We're on this journey together.
We won't pass this way again.
