Bright and early Wednesday a.m., we piled the kids in our trusty minivan and headed west to Palmyra, NY, a significant historical site for our church. During the drive we reviewed with the kids some of the places we'd visit so that while we were there we could do less talking and more taking it all in. Thomas and Christina are studying the D&C in Sunday School, and while we live fairly close, we thought it would be a good time to offer them a real visualization of where many events of church history took place.
We arrived in Palmyra at about 10 a.m. and started the day with a walk through the Sacred Grove. We've been to Palmyra in July, August, and May, and each time the foliage has been full and lush like you see in most pictures and paintings of the Sacred Grove. It's beautiful. This time we were visiting much closer to the time of year when Joseph Smith knelt in prayer and experienced the First Vision; the commencement of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I marveled as we walked through the grove and could see clear through since the trees were bare with the exception of early spring's tiny buds. For much of our time we were alone as a family in the grove; an experience I will never forget. At one point we gathered on one of the many wood benches along one of the many paths, and Wayne quietly recounted JSH 1:11-17. We all felt on some level that we were in fact in a sacred and holy place.
A sweet surprise for me was spotting a beautiful yellow daffodil {my mom's favorite flower} as we were walking along the far path. I had no idea there were daffodils growing in the middle of the Sacred Grove. I felt my mom close by as we continued on the path. How thankful I am to know that death does not have to break the bonds of family!
Leaving the Sacred Grove, Grace spied the Palmyra temple through the trees.
Can you see it too?
Wesley enjoyed INDEPENDENTLY walking---I don't believe we'll have many photos of hand-in-hand walks with Wesley for a while. In fact at this point when we called his name he instinctively grabbed his hands in front of him or behind his back and said, "No!" All of our kids were like this at Wesley's age, and we simply "go with it" while we're touring historical sites... Wayne & I trade off touring with the older kids and walking with the tot. Since we live fairly close to these sites, our attitude is that we can always come back, and we do.
While I am thankful to be able to do "day trips" to such sites, I am even more thankful to know that KNOWING the reality of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ does not require a trip to Palmyra. Knowing only requires time spent learning about the gospel, praying with real intent, and recognizing the simple witness of the Holy Ghost. This is "...milk and honey, without money and without price."
PS. These photos are privately stored via Flickr, but if you'd like a copy of the first photo, "The Sacred Grove," I'd be happy to freely share that with you....think sacrament quiet books, framed, photo clip-art, etc.
rebecca {at} menzie {dot} org
Posts
11 comments:
Yeah, that first shot is gorgeous.
Looks like a great day trip! When we move to Alabama in June, we'll go to Independence, Libery, Nauvoo & Carthage. We're also going to go to Springfield, IL. Jim and I both really enjoyed Lincoln's Tomb when we stopped there when we moved to Boston.
Beautiful post Beck...we're about 5 hours away now, so we'll be heading that way soon too. Next time, come another 5 hours farther and see us and Kirtland!
what an awesome day trip! those are great memories you are making with your kids!
It sounds like it was a very fun and successful family trip! I loved looking at the photos of all of you guys. Wesley is getting sooooo big, and just look so much older!
I just realized that Reddin has the same initials as you!
Beautiful, beautiful shots. I absolutely love the Sacred Grove picture.
Great trip! Doesn't look like spring has sprung quite yet in the grove. That's awesome that you are close enough to enjoy such wonderful historical sites, and that you actually do! We're going to Nauvoo (etc) this summer and it's quite the undertaking planning it all!
...and for reasons such as this, you must be ever grateful that you are East-Coasters! I love it that you take advantage of the many historical sites and so eloquently blog about them.
Wow, I would love to go there some day. Reading about being there in the early Spring and the daffodil gave me chills. Very, very neat.
Btw, often when we tell Jonas to hold our hands he holds his own hand by clasping his hands together. Wes has grown so much. And I had noticed that you and Reddin had the same initials.
I was just thinking I'd love that first shot. How big do you think I could make it before it would get too grainy? I love the colors. Glad you had a wonderful trip.
For those interested in the Sacred Grove photo (1st photo), I'll post a link to a printable version of this photo. Amy, I'm not sure how large of a print this will pass as since I used my point and shoot. I'm going to try for an large print and I'll let you know how it turns out.
Post a Comment