Thanksgiving and some Church History

This Thanksgiving, my wonderful sister, Jenny, and her family joined us here in Upstate for feasting, festivities, and fun. The only thing missing was a trip to see the lights twinkling on Temple Square. We made up for that loss by visiting all of the Church sites which are not next door, but close enough for a drive.

The awesome thing about the Church sites here is that no one from this area thinks they are the bomb.com the way that Mormons around the world think they are. In fact, we've heard missionaries explain that when they tell the story of Joseph Smith and the plates and then say (one would think a little breathlessly for dramatic effect), "and it all happened so close by... in... Palmyra!", those listening to the missionary discussions have been known to wrinkle their noses and say, "really? Palmyra? (said with the lilt of disdain) Can anything good come out of Palmyra?"

With all due respect to the kind folks from Palmyra, the answer is, well, not much that is awesome happens in Palmyra. Excepting Joseph, and a world wide religion, the publication of the Book of Mormon, and, well, the Erie Canal. They have good ice cream, too.

Take heart, Palmyra. They said the same stuff about a carpenter from Nazareth.

Another favorite about Palmyra is the inevitable discussion we have with those who are not of our faith, but who are from this area. When they find out we are Mormons, it's usually followed by some variation of the following:

"Oh, you're Mormons? Hmm. You know, your church started here."

We like to entertain ourselves with possible ways to respond to this statement, ranging from the sincere to the sarcastic. We like to crack ourselves up, in fact, with responses like:

"Shut up! It did?" or

"Are you kidding me?" or

"That is BRAND NEW INFORMATION!"

Usually, lest you think us much too snarky, we say, "I know! Can you even believe that?!"

In any case, I digress. We worried about Jenny and co. coming here in late November since Upstate NY is not quite fabulous this time of year. It's actually quite cold and grey, truth be told. But once they were here, we realized our worries were all for naught. Being together and enjoying Thanksgiving (which really is all about family, right?) was all we needed for a perfectly lovely time.


I'm including this picture because this child is just too cute to be left out. This is the only shot of Lillian inside. She spent the rest of her time galavanting around outside. She likes to be on the move, constantly.
This is outside of the Whitmer Farm in Fayette. The majority of the Book of Mormon was translated here and the Church was organized here on April 6, 1830. It was in the middle of nowhere back then, and it's not quite become a booming metropolis; hence, you can really get a feel for what it looked like back in the day.

Lillian and her Dad, heading toward the Sacred Grove. I took this picture standing in the frame home where the Smith Family lived for several years before losing the home and returning to the log cabin. Being here and realizing what they went through makes you admire them, especially Lucy Mack Smith, who responded consistently with faith.

Dave, Harrison, Lillian, Trent, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Jenny, freezing their patooties off in front of the Joseph Smith log home.

As I type this, I'm realizing this Thanksgiving was an opportunity to experience and reflect upon the places and events that have helped shape the foundations of my faith. Things for which I am very grateful for, indeed.

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving was marvelous!