First, family. It was such a pleasure to share the trip with our children and other family. The kids enjoyed Nauvoo so much and by the end of the trip, they knew enough about life in Nauvoo that they could have stayed to lead tours. Their favorite location was a play area with lots of dress-ups, pioneer games, log playhouses and plenty of pioneer toys. Doesn't Sophie make an adorable pioneer?
Here's Abe dressed up.
And Helen.
And Gibson.
More family -- family from old Nauvoo. Both Brandan and Joe have ancestors who were original settlers of Nauvoo. We felt tenderness and respect as we saw the evidences of the faith and hard work of past family. A major street in Nauvoo is named for Brandan's 3rd great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt.
Parley Street leads down to the Mississippi River and is the route that was taken by the Saints as they were forced out of Nauvoo in February 1846 and crossed the frozen river to Iowa. Right now with the flooding, the street disappears into the Mississippi River just past the memorial to those who died on the trip west.
Second, love. Nauvoo was built by love the first time and it is rebuilt and maintained by love now. Sarah and Joe's former bishop and his wife, Heber and Rosalie, are currently serving a mission in Nauvoo and are in the photo below. We enjoyed their insider view of Nauvoo and seeing them at their work every day. The senior missionaries are twice our age and work twice as hard, but all of them were kind and generous to us.
Third- the temple. The highlight of the trip was attending the Nauvoo temple. We donated some money to the rebuilding of the temple a few years ago, and after seeing the high level of craftsmanship throughout, we realize we probably paid for a box of screws. Extraordinary attention to detail and beauty in every aspect. Helen liked seeing the brides and their "crowns" (wedding veils) as they took photos outside the temple.
Parley P. Pratt's house is just down the street from the temple and was purchased by the Catholic Church in 1848. They still own it and use it as a residence. It has obviously been remodeled several times since Parley lived there. We like that he lived so close to the temple, even if only for a short time.
Finally- we got a good kick in the pants. The original residents of Nauvoo worked hard, took care of each other and imbued each task with excellence and personality. There were probably some slackers, but who remembers them? We took several wagon rides on our trip, but our favorite was a covered wagon pulled by two gentle oxen, Gary and Gabe. We can't imagine a trip across the Rocky Mountains in an oxcart, and we're very grateful for the courage of those who made the trip, and remember with tenderness those who died along the way.
Carthage Jail is one of the last sites we visited. It is a reverent place.
Nauvoo is beautiful. Its beauty is even more remarkable because of its man-made beauty, created from resources at hand. The beautiful, green landscape was created from a swamp. The lush greenery contrasts beautifully with vivid, tidy red brick houses and the shining, white temple on a hill. An uncommon beauty created by common people who worked together and we're so grateful for the chance to experience it.
2 comments:
What a beautiful trip. The kids look adorable. I especially like Gibson's hat. Drue and I visited Nauvoo when we lived in Kansas City. We remember it fondly.
Loved this post.
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