We are home

Well, we are home now. We actually got home late Sunday night and took Monday to rest. We had 16 total hours in the car on Sunday driving home. We were determined not to spend another night in a hotel. That has a tendancy to get old.

Joanne and I will be spending some time reflecting on the trip. It might be the last such road trip for us so it has a lot of meaning beyond the spiritual and family connections which it will have bound to us for a long time.

As a reflection, I felt that the visits to the church historical sites were not so much emotional but brought a great deal of reverance and respect. That reverance and respect was for the dedication and commitment of the early members and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have received a greater respect and reverance to the Prophet Joseph Smith as well. To visit Kirtland and Nauvoo and to stand where they stood and to see some of the things they saw has given me a personal connection with the beginnings of the church that can only come from visiting these places personally. To hear of the suffering and pain and sorrow they had to bear means so much more after having seen the places where they suffered so much.

For instance, I have a much greater understanding of the pain and sorrow they felt as the saints lined up along the Trail of Hope and looking back at their beloved Nauvoo temple knowing they would never see that place or that temple again. Having stood at the end of Parley Street and looking back at the temple on the hill gave me just a small sampling of what those saints might have felt. It has been a humbling experience that I shall never forget.

I think Joanne and I will remember this trip for the rest of our lives. I know we will have many more highlights, but this will certainly be on the top of the list.