Jean Brown started her clothing boutique Three Keys Collection to inspire her three young sons. She wanted to show them it’s possible to follow your dreams. She even named her store after them. “They hold the keys to my heart,” Jean said. The odds were stacked against her. She was told there had never been…
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Imagine Nauvoo in 1847. The prophet has been murdered. The Saints have been expelled. The once bustling and beautiful city of thousands of Saints now stands “desolate” and “deserted.” After the Battle of Nauvoo, three cannons sit abandoned at the entryway to the temple. Their barrels bear down upon the barren City of the Saints,…
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A 10 year-old German boy named Christoph went with his family to visit one of the most famous castles in the world: Neuschwanstein in Bavaria or the “Sleeping Beauty Castle.” He climbed up the suspension bridge overlooking the castle and he was absolutely stunned by the beauty he saw there. Even though he was only…
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This story starts with a burger. Just as Jordan Squire took his first juicy bite, his wife Morgan dropped the bomb. We need to sell our house, move to Nauvoo, and open a restaurant, she told him. An Unexpected Path Keep in mind, the Squires were not in the restaurant industry. He was a computer…
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Happy New Year Everybody! January is an exciting time of year. It’s like we all take a collective deep breath, shake off the dust and wear-and-tear from the year, and agree to begin again. Hope runs rampant! I love that contagious feeling of hope and positivity—feeling like good things are coming our way. I wish…
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What is the True Spirit of Christmas? December comes just once a year. If we’re not careful it can pass us by in a frenzied whirlwind of ribbons, packages, and parties. Or, for some, it may seem like a month just like any other. Nothing special. Neither of those scenarios sound like a fun Christmas!…
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Worldwide Prayer of Gratitude It’s been exactly two years since President Russell M. Nelson offered his monumental prayer of gratitude to the world. We stood at the cusp of a global pandemic. The collective heart was full of fear, anxiety, even panic. And then, the prophet spoke. Of course! The healing power of gratitude. “Does…
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The Camp of the Poor Travel back with me 176 years. The year was 1846. The October morning was cold and biting. Imagine over 600 people camped out right here on this riverbank. They were sick and shivering. They didn’t even have blankets. Food was scarce. They were starving. This group of Saints included the…
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Nauvoo is a magical place in the summer. Suddenly, the main street is crowded. The pioneer village wakes up, stretches its limbs, and begins to dance. Costumed pioneers wave. An orchestra plays. Wagons packed with tourists lumber past. You can almost see it: the ghosts of the past awaken and you capture a glimpse of…
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Memorial Service This summer my family and I participated in a memorial service at Smith Family Cemetery in Historic Nauvoo for the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (June 27, 1844).1 The service included prayer, music, scriptures, and quotes all crafted into a dramatic retelling of that fateful June-day when…
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