Nauvoo means "beautiful place" in Hebrew.

While we were there it WAS beautiful. The river, the purple flowers and the lily pads floating on what once was a swamp. The grounds are kept beautifully, and there are an abundance of well-kept flowerbeds overflowing with beauty everywhere.

But there was something else beautiful there too.

Christmas is a big undertaking for the mom! Some years I like to write myself notes to remember what I liked about what we did this year.

Showing love to strangers, your family, and yourself

It is a really beautiful process to be reborn. In my life, I have felt like two big events in my life led to an acceleration of my rebirth or "becoming a new creature in Christ."

A few months ago, my dad's older brother Lawrence passed away. Uncle Lawrence led a remarkable, accomplished life. Thousands of students came to love him as a charismatic teacher and presenter. He was articulate, smart as a whip, adventurous and loved to travel, and he made hard work look fun on two huge, beautiful ranches he owned over the course of his life (often inviting students up for horse rides there). He was SO FUNNY and was known for his gift of wit. And lastly, he and Aunt Elaine raised 8 awesome kids. He sounds great on paper, he was even better in real life.