Short Thought

      For anyone living around our area, and several other areas, where fires are working their magic, so to speak, the feeling and the look has caused me to think back. Before I bring up that thought, however, I would like to describe my feelings throughout the day. I was up before the sun, as I usually am, but as the morning moved along I was astounded by the color of the sky. Looking out there was a heavy caste of dark gray, but also there was an orange tinge to it. To begin with I had trouble deciding if the blackness was dark and heavy rain clouds (wouldn't that be great) or smoke from fires. With time I learned that it was smoke and it has lasted all day; sometimes darker than others, for sure. And the ash has done its best to imitate much needed rain. So it has been a relatively dark day today! Dark enough to have to use lights when I never do!Very hot today! Hot enough that even I, the cold-blooded old lady, felt the extreme heat outside! And very strange today! Strange enough that it brought back to my mind a time in history that it was so black that it says the people could feel it.  Any one have any ideas of what I am referring to?  I am not going to copy it all, just the last part: "And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness." This is taken from the Book of Mormon; 3rd Nephi 8:20. The whole chapter would be a good one to read about what caused the darkness then. Of course, we know it was what was prophesied would occur with the death of the Savior, Jesus Christ. But if you read the full chapter it talks about all kinds of destruction from earthquakes, to tempests to the thunder and lightening and the fires all around. Of course, we are blessed that it is not so dark that we cannot light a fire or cannot see, but still it is a darkness that we are not used to AND there has been fire after fire all over the world this year. Maybe we should take this as a warning of what is to come!!! I am no prophetess, for sure, but we keep getting told that we ARE in the last days and we know the end will come by fire. I keep thinking, " Could this be the beginning of the end?" "Are we ready to face that?" "Are we ready to go through the struggles in order to welcome our Savior and Redeemer back?"  And, that my dear friends, is the short thoughts I have had occurring in my old brain this day!!!