FROM LOST UNTO THE LIGHT

Like most men, I suffer under the delusion that I share the same DNA with every notable explorer who has ever walked the wildernesses of the world.

This male birthright altering handicap makes stopping and asking for directions, for that gender, an insult and waste of time.

After all, as I have often exclaimed, ‘would Daniel Boone need to ask for directions!’ On other occasions I might have been heard to say ‘you are never lost as long as you can find your way home!’ (Kathleen is always quick to remind me Daniel Boone wandered for years in the wilderness…)

I hope it won’t reduce the view other men have of my self-reliant manliness, but an admission must be made, there was one time I was truly lost.

It happened one year when I had passed the age when many cultures officially recognize a young boy as having entered into manhood. At this advanced age I also belonged to an official group called Explorer Scouts. Just after Thanksgiving I found myself in the mountains of Southern California with this before mentioned richly endowed with DNA Scouts. (The Southern is capitalized because those who reside in this part of the state consider themselves as living in an elite and unique part of the state) We, the Explorer Scouts, had decided to add to our yearly Christmas tree lot fund raiser by harvesting mistletoe.

It only took about an hour to fill the pickup bed full of mistletoe which was probably enough to meet the needs of most of the west coast of the United States of America.

Just as a side note, when we got home and started putting the sprigs of mistletoe into those tiny little bags, we only used one bunch of all those we had harvested. Our leaders told us it was OK since mistletoe is a parasite and needs to be removed from the trees.

Anyway, we had a quick lunch and then three of us older Explorers, who had an abundance of that DNA which allowed Perry to reach the North Pole, decided it would be fun to hike up to the top of the mountain where we could see a lookout tower the forest rangers used in the summer to scan for fires. Dressed in our levies, t-shirts and tennis shoes we boldly began our ascent.

We had vastly misjudged the amount of time it would take us to fight through the mesquite brush and snow and reach the tower. As we reached our goal the sun was setting and we realized there was zero chance we would be able to find our way down the mountain by retracing the way we had come up the mountain.

We found a trail near the tower which seemed to head down the mountain. Not long after we started down this trail we found ourselves in a campsite which we were sure would have been wonderful when it wasn't covered in several feet of snow. We searched, but were unable to find evidence of a trail leading out of the campsite.

Besides being Explorer Scouts we were also Priests in the Aaronic Priesthood. Since we had exhausted our DNA abilities we decided maybe we needed to ask for help and guidance from an All Seeing source.

The result of our prayer gave us the inspiration to head down an indentation in the mountain side, which I am pretty sure would have been quite a creek if the snow were melting.

After stumbling down the ravine for an hour or so we saw a light twinkling well off in the distance which filled our hearts with a much needed dose of encouragement.

Heading toward the light we eventually came upon a paved road which not only was an easier path than the scaring ravine, but very quickly after starting down the road we were gratefully looking into headlights of an oncoming car.

When we were safely in the car we were informed that there was an army of locals out combing the mountain roads looking for us. If being DNA infused males and Explorer Scouts and being lost weren't destructive enough to our egos, now we had to face whatever consequences might befall us for disturbing so many people’s lives.

In just a short while we were reunited with our leaders and headed to our home in Garden Grove, California. What a joyous reunion awaited us when we returned to be with loved ones and friends who had been informed of our being lost and then found and would soon be safely back home.

I have been told that allegories much like jokes, if they are well told, should have no need for added explanations, but since this allegory is also historical, I have used it at times during my life to remind myself of the path I have taken in life.

There has been an abundant amount of my life when I have felt that I had been born with sufficient gifts and intelligence to make correct decisions.
Sadly, there have copious decisions I have made which were not well thought out ahead of time.

There are also choices I have made that I was ill prepared to venture forth into.

Many times in my life I have compounded the wrong decisions I have made by adding other wrong decisions.

Sadly, desperation has been the motivation, too often later than it should have been, to drive me to seek help from He who desires to be my Guide.

Gratefully, I have been gifted with enough twinkles of light which have led me to the pathway unto The Tree of Light.

At this point in my life I am grateful for the many trials of my faith which have come as a result of my independent nature, but I am more grateful for the army of angels who have sought for me and rescued me in my hours of need.

It has been marvelous to a recipient of the goodness which resides in the hearts of our universal brotherhood which allows others to accept and forgive our wrong decisions.

The last lesson to be learned from my allegory is yet to happen, that being the glorious day when I will be reunited with loved one and friends.

I suspect the details of each of our lives are much different than the historical allegory of my Explorer Scout mistletoe trip, but I also suspect the explanations I have furnished for this allegory are a fairly common thread in all of our lives.

THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY
EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY