Back to My Roots

The South is beautiful this time of year. I took a quick trip home two weeks ago to visit with my family before I attended my friend, Ashley's, wedding in Utah. I was greeted by bright blue skies and fiery red, orange, and yellow leaves. It was refreshing to sit on my mom's front porch again just soaking up the morning. Even more refreshing was the time I spent talking with her. It's remarkable to see how much we change in subtle ways, and wonderful to take time to re-establish the connections of family ties.

On the weekend, our family went to Lawrenceburg, TN - which is found in the lower, central part of the state. The drive from Chattanooga is three hours long, and our trip supplied three adventures that I will explain in sequence.

Adventure #1: We discovered in the city square a museum dedicated to David Crockett and native history. An indian chief ran the place - though he looked about as native as any of us. The place was full of animal skins, fossils, various primative tools and clothing, papoose carriers, and a replica of a native campfire setting. The museum was decently ecliptic and very interesting. The old chief also had a display of books about the Nephites, Zarahemla, and historical findings that support Book of Mormon stories. Fascinating! In middle of nowhere Tennessee, we were all quite surprised to find evidences of the ancient history that we already believed in.



Adventure #2: David Crockett lived in Lawrenceburg, TN for 5 years, during which time he served in public office. This little town has taken this claim to fame, and put itself on the map (well, at least on detailed maps), by honoring David Crockett. We visited his log home, took pictures with his statue on the square, and hiked around in the official David Crockett state park. He was a true American hero, giving his life at the Alamo.



Adventure #3: While wandering through the state park, we met a nice family that we mistakenly took for Amish (oops!). However, they directed us to an Amish community on the outskirts of Lawrenceburg. I would love to show you lots of pictures from this adventure, because the people, their farms, their manners, and their clothes were all so interesting! However, I only took this one photo of a farm landscape, not wanting to be too intrusive by busting my camera out in the middle of their traditional lives. The Amish in this particular community put signs on the ends of their driveways advertising sundry goods: pickles, yams, jellies, and surgum molasses. We visited a few farms to purchase their homemade things, and it was so interesting to see how the children lived working on the land. The women, clad in solid navy blue dresses, peeked out from behind corners and around doorways, but they would never speak to us. Very interesting. It was as though we stepped back in time a hundred years or more. As we headed back home, I couldn't help but marvel at their lifestyle. I admire them for standing by their beliefs - persisting in long, hard days working the land, and sustaining their difficult lifestyle in a world of convenience.