This weekend I had the opportunity to take the youth from my ward at church to the Nauvoo Temple. I've been to several temples in my lifetime. I am very fond of the Los Angeles Temple were I attended for the first time and was also married. Going to L.A. was always such a chore for us. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive if there was no traffic and if anyone has been to L.A. you know that is just about an impossibility. Most times it took 4+ hours to get there. Then inside you were not 1 of 30-40 people there for your session you were sometimes 1 of 150-200 people there for your same session... long waits! Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed the experience every time I went, but going to Nauvoo is so different for me. Some say the drive is a bit long. 2 1/2ish hours, unless you happen to go on the day that EVERY little town is having it's "town garage sale", then it may take 3 hours. You may get stuck behind a tractor, or turn at the wrong corn field, or even have to slow down for weather. Parking is never a problem, OK maybe sometimes in summer if you go during Pageant days. Sometimes in L.A. we had to park blocks away not even on temple property... can you say carjacking! It still amazes me that in Nauvoo you can pull up to the front of the temple and get out of your car and walk up the front steps, in L.A. you park around back and take the hike to the front of the building.
I don't know if it's the history that blows me away every time I go there or the peace and quiet of the town (no offensive bill boards, or honking horns, or homeless people on the street) but I always feel calm when I enter the town, not just the temple. I never tire of going there, and can sit through the bread and candle making demonstration 100's of times without getting bored. Maybe it's that I'm there in the winter, in my warm car and heavy coat, knowing that I'll only be cold while I walk up to the front door, when only a short time ago our ancestors were freezing and forced from their homes during one of the harshest winters ever. It takes my breath away every time to look at the view of the Mississippi River from the steps of the Temple and I love shopping the quaint little shops along "Main" Street. I know most of my readers are probably my friends that live here in Illinois but if you are an out-of-state reader and ever have the opportunity to visit Nauvoo TAKE IT! You will not regret it and it's a wonderful LDS history experience.
P.S. sorry about the ginormous picture!!!
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