My Nauvoo Memory Stick

For those of you who saw me at the pageant, you probably saw me carrying around my large walking stick. This is a certain hobby of mine, to carve on walking sticks. I usually don't ever finish carving them, but they are fun to hike with and always have something to do while resting. I thought it would be fun to do a walking stick while in Nauvoo, so prior to going I found a good cedar pole. I never quite know what I'll do on these sticks but started on the bottom, carving the words, "Red Cast" and "Nauvoo" up the sides vertically, rimmed horizontally with "2010." In Nauvoo, I had the idea that it would be fun to have everyone sign my stick, so I carved groups of five sided flat spaces up the stick. It was a great way to meet and talk to everyone in the cast. I believe that I succeeded in getting a family member to sign the last name of all the families in the cast as well as the first names of the core cast. In between these groups of names I decided to carve in the Nauvoo temple stone symbols of the sun stone, moon and the star. Amazingly enough there was a perfect number of spaces to have three sets of those up the stick. Lastly, I carved the temples bell tower/spire on the top (without the angel). I have finally finished and wanted to share the pictures with you.

One of my endearing memories of Nauvoo was the spirit of togetherness that we felt together as a cast. This spirit of "Zion," of being of one heart and one mind was an experience that we don't often get to feel. For me, the time we shared in the temple as a cast and then symbolically building it every night on stage represents our efforts in building the kingdom of Jesus Christ on the earth. My stick reminds me of all the cast and how the temple binds us together as one in the Lord.