I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Huppatoo. Don't know what huppatoo is? Makes sense - only a member of the Mitchell household (and, even more specifically, of the Mitchell children) would have any idea what huppatoo is. Wanna know? Alrighty then.
Once, during my younger days (I was still the dashing, debonair, and ruggedly gorgeous individual back then that I am today, just FYI :), my brother, sisters, and I were listening to the radio. One of us (I think it was my brother) had their blanket spread out on the floor; I was carefully walking along the edges of the blanket, following the course of its four straight edges with near-absolute perfection. For some reason the radio got turned off, but I continued walking. My younger siblings decided to do the same, and eventually (I honestly can't remember how this evolved into what it did - just further proof that there really is such thing as a weirdness gene, and it is highly dominant in the Mitchell household) we created a chant. We stomped around the edges of the blanket, and, in sing-song voices, cried out: "Huppatoo! Huppatoo! Huppa-too-too-huppatoo!" :)
Pretty much the greatest thing ever.
I'm very proud to say that The Huppatoo became something of a tradition in our home; for some reason it really annoyed our parents when we would do it in excess...hmmm, funny how things work like that...
Anywho, the years fled by, and I, remaining as dashing, debonair, and ruggedly gorgeous as ever, passed on the torch of The Huppatoo leadership to my brother, who guided our sisters through it for some time. (You know, I feel like I'm making this whole Huppatoo thing sound a lot like some sort of secret rite or ritual - folks, it was a dance routine I made up when I was quite young, I promise :) Just thought I'd clarify)
In Helaman 3:37, we read:
"...And it came to pass that he did fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity; yea, he did keep the commandments of God, and did walk in the ways of his father."
What does this scripture have to do with The Huppatoo?
Well, technically nothing...but technically everything as well.
I created a path, a dance, a certain routine, that my younger siblings followed; together we would be crazy/dance/sing the nights away. Eventually, though, maturity hit me like a bad case of the plague, and my brother became the next and new leader of The Huppatoo. He changed nothing of the pattern that we'd originally developed all those years ago; he would sing in the right tone and timing, and would dance around the blanket in the right rhythm and step.
Perhaps that doesn't quite make sense; allow me to elaborate. In my religion class the professor added a bit of commentary to this verse. In essence, he said something along the lines of: "The world's best leaders were first the world's best followers."
We all go through this life learning and being taught, following in the footsteps of those who've gone before, essentially dancing The Huppatoos that others have created. Eventually, though, there comes a time when, after we have learned that dance and been taught the lessons we need to be taught, we transform from being followers to being leaders.
In whose path do we follow? In whose Huppatoo do we dance? (I hope that's not too irreverent a term to use here)
Let's read the tail-end of that verse one more time:
"...[Y]ea, he did keep the commandments of God, and did walk in the ways of his father" (emphasis added).
Now, this verse discusses a man who walked after the ways of his earthly father - but, as with all scripture, there is a sense of dualism, a sense of another meaning, that can be gleaned from those words. God is the Father of our spirits; we are to keep His commandments and to walk in His ways. Love God above all; love our neighbors as ourselves; do good to those who spite us; abstain from immorality, violence, and/or pride.
The path is not always easy - trust me, it's not always easy. But oh! How truly worth it will be our sacrifice if we just stick to our moral compasses, if we remain true to whatever faith we hold dear, if we see others not as enemies but as children of an all-knowing, all-encompassing, and, most importantly, all-loving Father in Heaven.
We must be teachable; we must be humble; we must be followers. But then, after we pass this test of life (and, quite likely, as we pass certain tests within our mortal experience), God will quietly say: "Now it's your turn."
I pray that we all may be able to see that, throughout the struggles of this life, we are merely undertaking the grand apprenticeship that will one day result in becoming Masters ourselves. Keep calm and Huppatoo on! :)
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
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