Elsie's Notes from New England - THEMission edition

Temperatures fall in their cycle Which turns up the fire Trees, like Redenbacher’s kernels Are starting to sizzle in the frost-burn of night Where the real work is done  Best displayed by collapsing rays  Competing for chroma,  They begin to burst;  One here, another there, random surprises  Then an empty pause  Two here, three there  Resplendent, exhilaratingly bright  Worth the price of impending gray Til suddenly, the flaring blasts Barrage every field and hillside In deep-hued explosions uncountable At zenith, flinging off their vibrant steam As if to lift the stratosphere higher still Succumbing finally to the chill In spastic throes and scattered flinches Until there is silence Frostbitten edges caching the gift To kindle with the warming

I have always loved the words of King Benjamin in the early chapters of Mosiah.  I've been listening to the Book of Mormon on CD as I drive to and from work lately, usually doing just a couple of chapters at at time, and sometimes listening to them twice to give me time to think about what I'm hearing. Today, as I listened to the words of that kind and humble prophet-king, I learned some new things that I want to remember. I haven't done much of this on my blog, but I couldn't think of a better place to put this so that I can think about it some more.  I promise pictures and poetry very soon! At the end of Words of Mormon, we learn a little about Benjamin's history, starting in about verse 12. Mormon, our abridger and narrator, describes the setting; how Benjamin took over the position of king when his father Mosiah died, and the struggles he had through his reign. It occurred to me that the people king Benjamin called to hear him speak had had a hard time keeping...