With a Few Tears



View looking into the apple orchard at the Smith Farm.

 It is a sad day. I have loved every minute I’ve spent here. Last year when we left I knew we would be coming back again, but this year I don’t know if I will ever see this place again and that thought stabs in my heart. It is a wound that is not going to heal easily. The last two days we haven’t done much except soak in the feelings and sights.


Saturday we worked the afternoon shift then went to dinner. Yesterday we went to Church and had to leave after the Sacrament because we were needed at the Smith farm. My first station was the Cooper shop which is my very favorite station. Once more I was able to bear testimony of the miracles that occurred there. After our shift ended we went back to the hotel for a quick sandwich and then returned to the Farm where we met D1 and her family and were able to spend a couple hours with them showing them the farm and telling them the stories of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his family. Being there with people I love so much was a beautiful way to end our stay here.

Today we pack up and travel home where all of our children except D1 are waiting for us for a family reunion! I'm leaving the peace of the Grove and entering the chaos of big family adventures! What a life!
Thanks for coming along on this journey with me, but my prayer is that every one of you will at some point get to experience this for yourselves. My words don't do it justice.

The Palmyra Temple



Palmyra Temple

 We began the day yesterday with a session in the Palmyra Temple. The temple is built on property that was part of the original Smith farm and when you enter the temple there is a window in the foyer that looks out to the far side of the property where the Sacred Grove is. That view fills me with the most peaceful feeling. I wish I could send it on to all of you!

The other windows in the temple beautifully depict a grove with leaves made of beveled glass that glimmers in the light so that it looks like the breeze is blowing through the leaves. It is breath taking. After our temple session we did the afternoon shift on the Smith Farm and after that we saw the pageant again. It was a full day.


Palmyra Temple from Smith Farm.

Each day we rotate through several stations on the farm and today I got to tell the story of the cooper shop again. It is my favorite station. We are keeping busy, but we are enjoying every minute of it.





The Erie Canal

After our shift yesterday we went to the Chill and Grill for lunch with D1 and her family who are in the pageant. They have been in rehearsals and we have been working so we haven’t seen them much. But yesterday we celebrated Luke’s seventh birthday a day early.

After we ate we went to Lock 29 on the Erie Canal. Shortly after we arrived, a packet boat came down the canal and we lined the fence to watch the lock lower the boat. As the Lock Operator came by he told us we could ask any question we wanted and so we started asking questions. Tom ended up spending the next hour with us explaining everything about the lock and showing us the old fuses and pulleys and gears and everything you can imagine. The Erie Canal has been moved twice and the current lock was opened in 1911 so this is the 100 year anniversary. I wish I’d had a recording going so I could remember all the fascinating things Tom told us. Besides being knowledgeable Tome was a lot of fun and kept everyone entertained.

Tom explained how the North would not have won the Civil War without the Erie Canal. But more significant to us was the fact that there would have been no printing press or enough paper in Palmyra to print the Book of Mormon if there had been no Erie Canal. Before the Erie Canal it cost farmers and others $100 a ton to ship their products, but as soon as the Canal opened that price dropped to $7.00 a ton. You can imagine what a boost that was to the economy. It is so interesting to see the hand of the Lord in not only the Church but in the history of this country.

After the packet boat went through, Tom filled the lock for us and answered more questions and then he got word that another boat was on its way. This one was a yacht on an excursion to the Florida Keys. So we got to see the lock do its job once again.

Miracle in the Cooper Shop

Yesterday cloud cover kept Palmyra at a perfect temperature and the threatened rain never occurred. We spent the morning driving over to Seneca Falls to visit a delightful Mennonite Store, Sauders Store, that sells all kinds of fresh produce, cheeses, pastries, jams and mixes for soups, dips, cakes and everything else you can imagine. We stocked up on goods to keep us through the week , made a quick lunch out of what we bought, and then drove to work.

Our afternoon shift began at 1:30 with a devotional and at 2:00 we were in the north-east loop of the Sacred Grove. Since that is the farthest out part of the mile and one-half trail not as many people roam there so the main sounds come from singing birds and rumbling insects. Every hour we change posts and that means that yesterday we got to be stationed at the cooper shop and the threshing barn, my favorite posts, where I get to tell the story of how Joseph Smith hid the gold plates under the floor boards of the cooper shop. Shortly after he hid them he received the impression that he should move them. He obeyed and put them in the loft of the cooper shop under some stalks. When a mob came seeking the gold, they demolished the floor of the cooper shop, never found the plates, and went away angry. The entire time the plates were just over their heads in the loft, but they never found them.

Over 1300 people came through the Farm yesterday some to experience it and some to say they had been here. It is very interesting to see the difference.

This is the Place

I am so sad to be leaving the Smith farm and the Sacred Grove. We've walked the Grove for about 20 hours, listened to a devotional talk while in the grove, watched the wildlife, but most importantly soaked in the sacred light that exists even in the shadows of the Grove. We've listened to the stories of people who have come from all over the world just to see the place where their faith began. We've been surprised by how many come from Central and South America, their eyes wide with wonder and expectation just to know they are in the same place Joseph Smith walked and talked, and especially a place where it is known that Jesus Christ and God the Father have appeared upon the earth. Most come here to be fortified and renewed and to celebrate and worship. It has been such a blessing to be part of it and to help those coming here in even in a small way.

Yesterday we finished our last shift at 3:30 and D1 and her family came over from Zion's Camp to go through the Grove with us. All four boys were in white shirts (except for a little breakfast and lunch on some of them! Afterall, they are camping!) We showed them all we have learned and our favorite spots in the Grove, then we stopped at a bench near the oldest tree in the Grove, the Apostle Tree, and we all talked about the First Vision. To end Mr. J and I shared our testimonies with them. It was a very sweet time with our South Carolina grandchildren that we don't get to see very often.

I knew it before I came here but this experience has strengthened my testimony. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet sent by God and that Jesus Christ and God the Father appeared to him in the Sacred Grove. I know the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and that it offers eternal life, happiness and love to all who follow its teachings.I will never forget this experience!

This morning we are packing up, driving (six hours!) back to NY city and will fly out to Ireland tonight. I'm glad we have this ahead of us or I don't know if I could go home! As soon as I have Internet access again, I'll let you know what I think of Ireland.

Wonders in the Grove

Yesterday we had the early shift and after we got off we did laundry and mailed home the things we won’t need in Ireland. In other words, it was task day. However, we finished the tasks and Carl wanted to take a few more pictures in the Sacred Grove so we went back to the grove and while we were there we saw a little fawn. I’m thinking that the deer I saw the other day must be his mother, but we never saw any sign of the mother yesterday. He wasn’t the least bit afraid of us. I wasn’t sure who was observing whom. He was as curious about us as we were of him, and he kept stepping closer to us to get a better look, his big brown eyes never leaving us.

Last night we attended the pageant again and each time it gets better and better. The interesting thing last night is that the antis that shout and yell before and after the pageant weren’t as intense. I don’t know if they are wearing out or if they are being mellowed, but it was interesting to watch how LDS people react to them. Groups of young people will pass through and begin to sign a hymn. Older people smile and wave at them as if they were long-lost relatives. Some people even stop for a friendly chat which keeps the antis entertained so they can’t yell. There have been, and always will be, a few who content with them but gratefully there are only a few. Most of them don’t know a thing about us. They are hired by anti-Mormons to harass and protest, but when you question them you discover they haven’t a clue what Mormonism is about. When one was asked if he knew what the Book of Mormon was all about, he answered, “Sure, It’s about Jo Smith.” Even their signs show they haven’t a clue. When you understand all that what they are doing is actually humorous rather than offensive.

We heard a story of something that happened last year. A seminary teacher decided to confront one of the antis near the Grandin Building where the Book of Mormon was printed. It got very heated with yelling on both sides and accusations flying like bullets at a trap shoot. Finally a gentleman walked up to them and said, “An hour ago we had one fool yelling on this corner. Now we have two fools.” That made the seminary teacher realize what he was doing and he left. You can’t fight evil with evil! But there is something miraculous that happens when people fight evil with love.

Day Three in Palmyra

This morning we began our work. (It is difficult to call it work! It isn’t play, but it is absolute delight.) Our first assignment was to patrol the path deepest into the Sacred Grove. We just walked around and were supposed to help anyone who needs help and keep people from going off the path or doing things to destroy the Grove like picking the wildflowers or carving names on trees. It was very easy this morning because no one went that far into the Grove so we had another morning of enjoying the solitude and reverence. I’ve never been in a place that feels as much like a temple as the Sacred Grove. I wish everyone could bring their children here and let them feel the place. It would help our children understand why we want them to be temple worthy so that they can go to and be renewed in a place like this.

Our second station was counting visitors as they entered the log home where Joseph Smith was living at the time of the first vision in 1820 and where he was sleeping Sept. 21st, 1823, when Moroni awakened him to tell him what the Lord wanted him to do with his life. Six boys sleeping in that tiny room and Joseph visiting with Moroni all night long. You never know what the person next to you is experiencing! And such an amazing message. A message that change the course of my ancestors lives and allowed me a life that includes Jesus Christ. I am so grateful.

Our third station was the entrance to the visitors center. So many wonderful people and a special surprise--one of my BYU students from many years ago came through with his four children! FOUR! How could that have happened?

At 2:00 our shift ended and we went to Canandaigua to a little crepe shop for lunch. The entire Main Street of Canandaigua looks like it did in the early 1900s. Such a delight to step back in time while using my IPhone and enjoying amenities such as air conditioning. After lunch we visited a small specialty store that sells flavored vinegars and oils. I tasted peach balsamic vinegar and blueberry balsamic vinegar and you won’t believe this one—chocolate balsamic vinegar. Such a taste treat. I want to make salad dressing out of the chocolate! I wanted to buy some but I’d have to drag them to Ireland so I’ll wait until I get home and then order some. If you want to check them out (It’s worth it!) they can be found at www.folivers.com. I just wish I could give you a taste!
After F. Olivers we rode out to Bristol to a pottery shop. We got there a little late and the potter was just closing up shop so we could watch him at work, but I bought a beautiful bowl inlaid with leaves that I’ll send home with some clothes before we leave for Ireland. (It won’t be as difficult to ship the bowl as it would be to ship liquid vinegar!)
Every place I go I wonder if Joseph walked here. I know he was on the Hill Cumorah and all around the Grove. But did he also travel the path to Canandaigua? Did he go to Seneca Falls or Macedon? He was here and now I am here and it makes me think of the miracle of it all constantly. So amazing!

We’re going to the dress rehearsal of the pageant tonight! Wish you were all here with me!

My Heritage

I can’t stop thinking about our trip to Cumorah. We had such a good time, but it was more than good. There was something almost transcendental going on. I was being tied to my roots in a spiritual way. And I watched as my children and grandchildren were drawn to their roots also. Obviously those roots include our pioneer heritage. So many people gave so much so that we could have the gospel. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon. Joseph and his family endured intense persecution. Everyone in those days paid a price to belong to the Church and while in Palmyra I felt such a kinship and tie to those people—an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

But there was more. I felt amazing ties to my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. Walking through the Sacred Grove is like being in a temple. The feelings are real, almost tangible, and my grandchildren were feeling those things also.

Luke turned five years old while we were there. His part in the Pageant was to be a Nephite child when the Savior appears. The scene is stunning as suddenly in the dark night, high in the sky, Jesus slowly descends to the earth. Once on the stage, Jesus walks down a flight of stairs, as people eagerly reach for Him and take His hand. Luke was one of those people and the last night we saw the production, he watched the coming of the Savior in awe as he always did, but as the Savior passed Luke looked up into Jesus’ face and said softly, reverently, “My name is Luke.”



That incident summarizes the feelings. When in Palmyra I felt like I was conversing with those who have gone before and with my Savior. While I didn’t say it, the thought was, “My name is Sherrie, and I am one link in this amazing history. This is my story, too.”