ROADTRIPPIN - OLD NAUVOO BURIAL SITE

There are a number of cemeteries in Nauvoo – but my sister (and her wonderful husband) took me to one I’d never even heard of before. The Old Nauvoo Burial Ground (also called the Pioneer Saints Cemetery) was the primary cemetery in Nauvoo during the time the Mormons first came to Nauvoo. It is believed that over 2000 people died in Nauvoo during the period, from 1836 until the Pioneers headed west in 1846 – and about half of them children.

Although most cemeteries have a solemnity about them, this place feels different. There’s a small parking lot, and a path leading back into the woods. A few hundred yards in, you come to a rotunda – and on the walls are listed the names of those known to have died while in Nauvoo. The list is humbling, and names familiar from my own family tree stand out to me as I glance through the hundreds and hundreds of names. So many infants and small children. And diseases like Malaria, Tuberculosis, Cholera were so prevalent at the time.

A few hundred yards farther, and there is a large wooded grove – surrounded by a simple wood fence, and a few headstones scattered about. And although thousands died in Nauvoo, only 119 gravestones are here. Some headstones were lost over the years – overgrown by 180 years. Some were long-ago-disintegrated wood markers that just couldn’t withstand the test of time. Still many others were never marked – either from a death in the middle of a harsh winter, or because sometimes there just wasn’t time nor resources.

Tall trees shade this hallowed ground, with light gently filtering through the trees. Grass grows a foot tall, and will be taller by mid-summer. Of the headstones that do exist, some are newer additions (now no longer allowed), and most are weather-worn and fading, most spotted with moss. So many barely-legible or no-longer legible from the years. 

In the center of the back fence, a bronze statue of a young pioneer family in mourning watches over this hallowed ground. No doubt many young families stood here, facing heartbreaking loss. 

It's humbling to stand in this place. 2000 unmarked graves. Graves of people who sacrificed their lives for their beliefs. That made that sacrifice for the gospel. That made that sacrifice for me.

ROADTRIPPIN - MY BIG SISTER FRAN

We all have heroes in our lives – and I was blessed with a few. Second only to my dad (who is her hero too) is my big sister, Fran. She’s always been there. She was 13 when I was born, and even had to share a room with me as a newborn and toddler (and never complains about it). She got stuck with my 2 a.m. feedings, because I had awakened her anyway. She used to make us matching dresses, which I absolutely loved. And she is the reason I play the piano, wanting to be as good at playing as she is.

   And it’s not just me that thinks she’s pretty amazing. She has a wonderful husband of 42 years – and they have 8 kids. After raising 5 nearly-perfect kids, as they were all growing up and moving to college, etc. – she decided that she really wanted to adopt 3 Russian orphans, siblings. Even the City of Centerville Utah named her “Mother of the Year” a few years ago. And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with anything but good to say about her. I know all of her flaws, and it’s a really, really, really short list.

   She left for college at BYU the week I started Kindergarten in California, and we’ve never lived under the same roof since I was age 5. But still, she has always been a big part of my life. When I was 8, she bought me a bicycle for my birthday – and she was the one in the Dressing Room with me when I got Baptized. When I was 10 she got married, and at age 11 I was the first aunt in my elementary school. And since I was young, fun, and didn’t have kids – I got to be the “Favorite Aunt” to all of her kids (and I’ve taught them that I was the favorite since they were very little).

   And despite the fact that she and I are as different as black and white (yes, I’m the black sheep) – she’s never been judgmental or treated me as anything but her favorite little sister. We live very different lives, but we also see eye-to-eye on most things (especially the important ones). And we were in perfect sync when it came to settling my parents’ affairs – and that is a very rare thing.

  So roadtripping is great, and being in Nauvoo is fabulous – but the best part of this whole trip is that I get to spend time with my hero – my big sister. (Oh, and she’s probably going to kill me for talking her up like this. She’s pretty darn humble too!)