”Fertile Ground“ 11 X 14 Oil
As one looks at the pleasant situation of the Smith Farm today, it is easy to forget the toil and sacrifice required to prepare those acres for planting. Felling trees, clearing stumps, and removing the thick underbrush would have been done all by hand, with some help from a team of horses. It would have been backbreaking labor.
On several occasions during my trip to upstate New York, I found myself wading through thick undergrowth and heavily wooded acreage as I searched out historic church locations. I marveled at the strength and will of those early frontiersmen as they faced the hardship of preparing the land, all the while considering it an opportunity. Today, all who farm or homestead land that has been prpared by another are beneficiaries of the preparation and foresight of their forebearers.
The Smith Farm is a symbol to me. It stands as a metaphor and a reminder that we grow today in fertile ground prepared so painstakingly by the sacrifice of others, particularly by Joseph and Hyrum. Our convictions have been watered by their tears, our hopes strengthened by their toil, our testimonies nurtured by their sacrifice. Truly we grow in fertile ground.