Full Circle

… almost.

I suppose I should not be surprised with the feelings that come with the evolving seasons. But the subtle changes seem to whisper something to me.

The walnuts and acorns have begun to drop and with them come the more frequent sightings of squirrels – if that is possible. Also, the geese are once again beginning to group and fly overhead from the Mississippi – much like they did when we arrived in October last year.

Tonight, as we walked up Parley Street from watching the Trail of Hope, there was a cool summer breeze and a vast starry sky before us. This seen was punctuated with tall trees laden with leaves that would soon start dropping.

Photo by Kay Evans Little

So, what were the whisperings? That all of this was winding down for us. It would soon be but a sweet memory.

As we arrived at the Seventies Hall on the way to our home, the young, performing missionaries were singing the gently arranged prayer of Joseph’s telling of the first vision. For me it was a tender reminder of the blessing that this mission has been.

It should be noted that as beautiful as Nauvoo is, there is always that sad reminder of the great difficulty that those who chose to follow God faced here.

They were driven from their homes in the dead of winter.

They left almost everything and walked into the unknown. They would suffer physically and emotionally. Many would give their lives in the journey.

Tonight, we are celebrating them. Nauvoo is celebrating the reality of the faith that led them away - and now back. It is but a tiny place among the expanding stakes of Zion that Joseph prophesied. But this tiny place stands as a bulwark of the restoration of God’s work on the earth. It too, is coming full circle.