Eternally Fused: Family Trip

Last Sunday morning, Matt, the kids and I took off in the van for a short family vacation in Kirtland, OH. For those of you who are not members of the LDS church, Kirtland is a city that has a lot of church historical sites to visit. This trip was absolutely wonderful! We were able to tour the Kirtland Temple, the Newel K. Whitney sites and the Johnson Family Farm. It was such a spiritual experience for us all. I always knew how hard it was for the early Saints and Joseph and Emma Smith, but a few thoughts really hit me while we were there. First, there is no conceivable reason Joseph Smith would have ever made this up. From his very first vision, his life was hard. People tried to hurt him and his family and eventually killed him as a result of the religion. One evening, a mob rushed into his bedroom on the Johnson Family Farm where they dragged him out by the hair and feet in order to beat him up (leaving him unconscious) and then the mob tarred and feathered him. The guide told us that some of his hair was ripped out from this incident and never grew back. She also told us that one of his front teeth was broken off causing him to talk with a whistle for many years. It really struck me that no one would willingly put themselves or their family through this for fun. Also, I was really moved by the great sacrifice many of the families made for their faith. They were willing to move and leave everything and gave freely of their money and time for what they believed. It was very moving.

After visiting the historic sites, we headed to a water park for our last fun activity. It was loads of fun. I was also very impressed our daughter, Brianna, went on every water slide at the park! She struggles with anxiety, so watching her overcome those feelings and really enjoy herself was inspiring.

Now that summer has drawn to a close, it is time to get ready for back to school!