When I first came to Ensign Ranch
The nights were long,
the mornings crisp and cold-
The sky seemed often gray and bleak
With bare branches stark and bold.
The time went by and the nights grew shorter
The sun was up when the day begun.
When we saw the pink and purple of the Trillium
It meant that winter was on the run.
Before we knew it our world was green
With all of the shrubs and trees.
Visions of majestic mountains
And a constant gentle breeze.
The forest floor and paths
Yes, green were the pastures and meadows
And then there were various hues of blue
That the streams and lakes and rivers hath.
Sometimes when the sun was shining
There was still a constant mist
Not a cloud in the sky from whence it might come
There were many navy blue skies at night
With bright white twinkling stars;
And on summer evenings when it started to cool
Spectacular lavender sunsets were ours.
Then often when least expecting it
Liquid sunshine was the gist.
We’d raise our eyes and see
A rainbow with every color
Making a heavenly canopy.
Oh, My! About the rainbows
Arching over and beyond our view
The promise it represents from God
And our knowledge that it’s true.
This has been a time of service
How fun to have it be something I love
In this autumn of my life.
With very little strife.
We felt that the call
To serve at Ensign Ranch
Was truly from the Lord,
And not just happenstance.
Here we learned that we were not alone
With broken hearts and humble spirits
We came together in peace to serve as one.
We asked our Heavenly Father
To help us understand the reason
That four of six couples serving today
Were brought together for a season.
In the loss of a beloved son.
It’s almost overwhelming when I focus
Across the continuum of the past twelve months
We felt the presence of our sons
Encouraging and assisting us for good.
Life has come and then it goes
A cycle of Gods Plan
On the colors that have span-
Serving the best we could
Now I ask myself often
Did I make a difference in someone’s life this year?
Even though I say “It’s all about food”
And the accolades were clear…
Should I have chosen another path
Or was what I had to offer him
To serve my fellow man?
Acceptable for his plan?
The friendships formed and bonds built
Will last throughout the years…
Though years have come and gone
Then sometime in eternity
We’ll reunite with tears.
And now I’m officially old
I find my world is changing
From emerald green to
burning gold.
Sister Jimae Kenney – Serving at Ensign Ranch, Cle Elum,
Washington - 2015
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| changes from green to gold |
