Entry 3 - Oh How Lovely Was The Morning – Palmyra, New York, 8th April, 2007

The morning brought with it a beautiful dusting of snow over the countryside. For some reason this is the way I imagined this area to be like. It is probably because of all the church productions that I have seen, and their usual portrayal of the local countryside as cold and snow covered. But it was beautiful to me, and a perfect beginning to a day that would bring many more beautiful experiences.

Time for a little snow fun before church

Church was a surprise, as I thought it would be a small congregation in a small community. However, it turned out to be a major event. It was clear that there were many visitors, but I really think that it was a thriving ward that would be a good size even without the visitors. It put a whole new meaning to the idea of welcoming visitors to their ward. There was too many to introduce individually, but they were sure to differentiate between those visiting and those new to the ward.

It was perfect timing for us to visit the Smith home/s and the Sacred Grove on the Sabbath. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Regardless of the cold and snow we all enjoyed the experience of stepping back in time and walking in the shoes of the Smith family and coming to understand the hardships they endured in the early days of the Church. I just keep thinking to myself, ‘What women of faith’.

View from the window of Joseph and Emma's small log house - Palmyra

Kitchen of Lucy and Joseph Smith Snr home - Palmyra

The hearth in Lucy and Joseph Smith Snr's under which the plates were hidden for a time.

But I also keep thinking to myself that their family must have been close and connected to each other, not only through the experiences they had, but because they lived in such close quarters. I loved the stories that the missionaries told, such as the hiding of the plates under the hearth and then in Hyrum’s toolbox. I also loved hearing about how Joseph was supported by all his family, who usually accepted every experience he had by faith. In recorded history there were many of his family members who never got to see the plates or experience a heavenly visitation as he did.

The Sacred Grove

Our family in the Sacred Grove

We couldn't bring a leaf home, so here is the next best thing

The grove was eerie to walk into at first. It was snowing lightly, with some snow already on the ground; the trees were bare, almost lifeless in appearance. There was a slight breeze that came and went at times and the ground was soft and wet under foot. But as we all went along at our own pace I found myself alone and using my camera to capture some of the facets of the grove. I was also able to reflect on the importance of the place and the ripple effect it has had on my life. The eerie feeling soon left me and I enjoyed the subtle colours and sounds of my surrounds.

Some images of the Grove

It is a great time to visit. Some would say it would be more beautiful in autumn or a better time to travel in summer. But travelling this time of year guarantees that we have many of the sites pretty much to ourselves. This was the case in the Sacred Grove. We encountered maybe two other groups in the time we were in there, but the nature of the place is that it is big enough to not even notice even that many people.

The children and Wayne were wandering through at their own pace and as I heard later, Wayne had the children taking their own paths individually to have some quiet reflection time. Later, at one of the other sites we heard Dallan explain to the guide how he felt when he took the time to ponder and pray in the grove. It was a special experience.

The path to the Sacred Grove

After leaving the Grove, we headed into Palmyra Township and drove past Martin Harris’ home and then toured through the E. B. Grandin Printing Shop. Even though we had planned on touring through this building, it was not one of the top priorities of our stay in Palmyra. But I have to say that it has been one of the highlights of the trip so far. Our guide carried a lovely spirit with her as she led us through the different levels of the store. Maybe it is because I love books so much, I don’t know, but I found it fascinating to learn about the 1800’s process of publishing and binding a book. One of the best parts of the tour was when we walked into the ground level shop front and felt and heard the floorboards creaking under our feet. They were the original floorboards from the time of the Prophet, and it was exhilarating to think that we were making the same creaking noises with our feet that the Prophet would have made with his.

E.B. Grandin Printing Shop where Joseph would have visited on many occassions while the Book of Mormon was being printed.