Wee Granny

Today we went for a walk as a family. It was snowy and slushy, not a very pleasant walk. Towards the end of the walk Daniel was walking with me, holding my hand. He was growing tired, and his feet were starting to drag. He kept repeating, “I’m tired Mama, I am really tired.” I told him that even when we are tired we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, that is the only way to make it home. We continued home, and a lesson was learned. Not by Daniel - but by me. One foot in front of the other . . .

The picture above is of a woman named Mary Murdoch (Wee Granny - her story below). She put one foot in front of the other. My family owes our faith to her, and others. We are her descendants. I am sure she had no idea that in years to come, her posterity would benefit from her courage and faith. She was a pioneer who died before she ever reached Zion, but her final words were, “Tell John (her son) I died with my face towards Zion.” She must have known by going on the journey her chances of survival were slim, but that did not stop her from pressing forward. She wanted to be found faithful in every footstep. If she were to die, she wanted to die on her way to Zion. I hope that I can follow in her footsteps of faith. I want to be found with my face towards Zion in the end of all things. I can sometimes feel the strength of Mary Murdoch, our Wee Granny, when times get tough. I can imagine her cheering for me, saying, “One foot forward Mari, one foot forward.”

The rest is a touch lengthy, but it is a good story . . .

A Portion of a talk given by Brian C. Schmidt at BYU-Idaho:

Sister Virginia Pearce has said:

Most of our lives are not a string of dramatic moments that call for immediate heroism and courage. Most of our lives, rather, consist of daily routines, even monotonous tasks, that wear us down and leave us vulnerable to discouragement . . . This week-after-week walking forward is no small accomplishment. The pioneer steadiness, the plain, old, hard work of it all, their willingness to move inch by inch, step by step toward the promised land inspires me as much as their more obvious acts of courage. It is so difficult to keep believing that we are making progress when we are moving at such a pace-to keep believing in the future when the mileage of the day is so minuscule.

President Howard W. Hunter said, "True greatness ... always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time."

In our world of instant gratification it is sometimes difficult to understand the perseverance required to act in faith. We might think we can take one step in the dark and our prayers will be answered. While it is occasionally the case, I have found more often, that the first step usually opens the way for the next.

As you take those steps towards your future, please remember the legacy of the pioneers to act in faith-day after day, step after step.

Pioneer saints also turned to the Lord. Mary Murray Murdoch, who died on the plains of Nebraska, is just one of thousands examples of pioneer saints who overcame their sufferings through faith in Jesus Christ.

Mary Murdoch was known as "Wee Granny" to her descendents because of her small size; she was -4 feet-7 inches tall and weighed about 90 pounds. A widow, she lost her husband to a mining accident but continued to run the home and raised six of her eight children to maturity in her home in Scotland.

At the age of 67 she joined the church along with four of her children (some of whom were married at that time). In 1852 her son John, his wife, and their two children immigrated to Utah. Four years later he sent for his mother. She loved the gospel and had a deep desire to be with her son and the saints in Zion.

Wee Granny was almost seventy-four years old when she started the 6,000 mile journey to Salt Lake. In the company of the James Steel family she sailed from Liverpool, England to New York. From there they rode a train to the Midwest where the saints were assembling companies to go to Salt Lake. Because oxen and wagons were very expensive church leaders were organizing saints into handcart companies. It was argued that pushing these carts could actually be faster than driving the wagons with slow plodding oxen.

Wee Granny and the Steel Family that accompanied her were assigned to the Martin Handcart Company whose departure was delayed until the end of July. They averaged 13 miles a day pulling their carts over the hills and gullies of the trail. Unfortunately the hastily constructed carts began to break down. Other problems plagued the company. Food was rationed and some immigrants were forced to drink from puddles due to a shortage of water. In the midst of these difficulties Wee Granny walked every mile.

As the company pushed across central Nebraska, the increasing windy and harsh environment began to take its toll on Wee Granny. She trudged as far as she could, but eventually her body gave out near of Chimney Rock, the half way mark of the journey. On October 2, 1856 she died of fatigue and exposure and was buried in a shallow grave on the side of the trail.

Just before her passing, she requested her friends who gathered round her to "Tell John I died with my face towards Zion."
Why was it so important that her son John know that she was facing Zion at her death? For me this sentence symbolizes so much.

In her 74th year and frail condition Wee Granny probably knew the chances of surviving the journey to the Salt Lake Valley were slim. But that earthly destination was not as important as her eternal goal. She was facing Zion. She was turned towards the Lord, Jesus Christ.

She wanted her posterity to know that in spite of the difficulties of the journey she still believed. What really mattered was her faith in Jesus Christ. She trusted in Him and in his will and in the wisdom of His timing. (End of Talk)

I really enjoyed reading that talk about our Wee Granny. I have been told stories of her faith before, and I never tire of hearing about her. She was just one woman, a woman of great faith. Her legacy continues to this day, and her story continues to be told.

One foot in front of the other - that is what it will take to create a legacy of faith. Perhaps we could even attempt a joyful bounce in our step!!

"Onward, ever onward, as we glory in His name; Forward pressing forward as a triumph song we sing. God our strength will be; press forward ever, called to serve our King!" Hymn 249

Lots of love,
Mari