Tradition has it they raised a humble banner as an ensign to the world. On Saturday last, I left the Capitol and hiked to that same peak, now known as Ensign Peak. One still sees the glimmering lake, and the streams that flow. Valleys, then barren, are now very much alive. From that same peak, there now winds a black ribbon of asphalt from every direction, automobiles carrying people into a stream of vitality that now is the state of Utah.
Airplanes slide from earth to air, bound for distant parts of a smaller world.
Trees, homes, businesses and schools, hospitals, churches and parks fill the valley, surrounded by the ageless mountains. Like the settlers of 150 year years ago, I wanted to take a moment or two to think about how far we had come and to consider the challenges that lie ahead. Not so far from where I stood, I could see the hospital where six months ago, I held a newborn girl in my arms. Charity was her name, and little Charity was Utah's two millionth citizen. Two million citizens from every corner of the globe, citizens from every walk of life, from every race and religion, from every part of the political spectrum.