Maybe we've been traveling for so long that I just don't have enough oxygen to my brain.
But just hear me out-
This past month we've been traveling around here in Arizona and have had the wonderful opportunity to see many plants and animals that are indigenous to this area up close and personal. One of these experiences really stuck with me (no pun intended) and the more I think about it, the more it settles somewhere deep inside me. Deep enough that I feel I need to write it down to reflect on it more later.
While camping in the beautiful Sonoran desert, we decided to walk the kids around and look at some of the cactus and plant life we'd be living with. On one of our very first walks, I was heartbroken to see that wherever we stepped we were unavoidably mauled by pins and needles and cactus pricks everywhere.
Our poor shoes! Chacos were out of the question! It was runners and socks and still somehow these little guys climbed all over our shoes, even poking through underneath at times. I was only hours into our first day and already full of dread and anxiety.
After a few hours, we made our way to the main camp and the kids were joyously climbing the boulders and making friends. I was beginning to relax. Pretty soon I could see Ava walking toward me with a bit of a limp in her step. She was quite brave and not crying so I didn't think too much until she got closer.
When she walked up, I was breathless. She had a cactus bulb with a BUNCH of needles stuck to her shin. She was trying to be so brave but I could tell by her face it was getting the best of her.
The problem is, these little bulbs are covered in needles and are almost impossible to grab bare handed. I was ready to grab them off of her and deal with them in my own hand until a local came to our rescue with the answer costing no more than a dollar and slipped conveniently in his back pocket.
It's not much. And from the look of it, you wouldn't think it would do any good. But it was a godsend to us! He quickly took the comb and in one fail swoop combed the bulb right off her leg. She stopped crying, I was grateful and we all went on our merry way.
Apparently, there are a number of "Jumping Cactus" in Arizona. One of these cactus plants are affectionately called the Teddy Bear Cholla because of its fuzzy, soft look it gives from far away.
Don't let the cuteness of the cactus fool you- it's evil! Each plant is covered in these bulbs which are also covered in tiny sharp needles. These needles are different than most cactus needles and are the reason for it's "jumping" nature. Each needle is equipped with a number of barbs (much like a fishing spear) that are facing out and the moment it touches something soft (clothing, shoes, your hand) it grabs on and holds on tight!
So how does the Atonement fit into all of this? Well, from where I stood I was needing someone to come and fix a problem I was dealing with. It was a problem that because of my inexperience, I did not know how to overcome. It wasn't until someone with more experience than I had solved my problem.
Much like the Savior died for me so that I can repent and live with him again, a dear stranger shared the knowledge of this tiny comb that could in one motion take away the pain that I and my loved ones were experiencing. And the best part was- once I knew about them, I shared them with others too! They were all over camp. You could go to almost any tent and ask to borrow their "cactus comb" and be bombarded with a number of them at your leisure.
We all carried a number of them in our pockets, our backpacks, even in our shoes! It was something we all knew we just couldn't live without. It's the reason I want to live my life in such a way that anyone searching to know more, to remove the awful pain they're experiencing, will want to know more about our Heavenly Father and His Son along with the life saving Atonement they offer.
It sounds simple. It is simple.
The Atonement is real. It is available to all who accept it. And it can remove the pain and the anguish we bring upon ourselves.
And it's up to us to share it.
Oh, and yes, we survived the terror of the cactus. Alive and well, we came out unscathed (and with only a few stitches).
Until next year (when we'll come back armed and ready!)
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