Our visit to Nauvoo was a wonderful experience, but it was occasionally lonely for me. The people were wonderful, but I missed my own culture and spirituality.
Toward the end of the pageant, Daniel - a Native man from Kansas - drove six hours to see the show and connect with members of the cast. He was in the pageant himself several years ago, so he knew many of the same people. I am not sure how he found out about me, but he heard there was another Native in the cast, so he tracked me down, and we had a great visit.
Out of the blue, he said that he brought a hand drum and that he wanted to sing. So the two of us went into the Grove - the same grove where Joseph Smith once preached some of his most important sermons - and sang from our respective traditions. It was an amazing, impromptu ceremony that totally lifted my heart. By the end, any heaviness or loneliness simply fell away.
I'm still grateful to Daniel for helping me that afternoon.
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