5thCrossing

5th Crossing is the name of a real-life, actual place – and while you can’t find it on a map, our family knows right where it is and can get there without directions. It’s a straight shot up the road and up the canyon from my maternal grandparent’s home in Morgan Utah. For years it was a gathering place for extended family gatherings, a peaceful sanctuary off the beaten path, a happy place from my childhood.
Line Creek Road crosses Line Creek 5 times to get to 5th Crossing. It is one of the ways the Mormon pioneers named locations on their journey from Illinois to Utah. They noted the number of times they crossed a river. For example, “Sixth Crossing” near Lander, Wyoming received the name Sixth Crossing because it was the spot where the Mormon Trail crossed the Sweetwater River for the sixth time.

And a little more detail …….
Utah has been home to our family since our ancestors came west on the Mormon Pioneer Trail along with thousands of Mormon emigrants to find refuge and make a new home in the Salt Lake area. The National Historic Mormon Pioneer Trail begins in Nauvoo, Illinois and finishes in the Great Salt Lake Basin in Utah. More than 70,000 Mormons traveled 1,300 miles in the years of 1846-68. They traveled in waves and followed existing trails. They used maps and accounts of early explorers, and gathered information from frontiersmen they met along the way. Knowing others would follow, they made improvements to the trail, built support facilities, and created route markers and milestones to aid fellow travelers.

To learn more about the Mormon Pioneer Trek, check out https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/exhibit/mormon-trails?lang=eng
The National Historic Mormon Pioneer Trail is now a designated corridor which is almost 1,300 miles long and is managed as a cooperative effort among private landowners, trail associations, state and local agencies, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the USDA Forest Service. To learn more about the historic trail, check out https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-1847-trek-mormon-pioneer-trail.htm

And a footnote: Mormons have also been known as LDS for “Latter Day Saints”. This religion is now called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

A little about me - I grew up in a 2-parent household, with two full sets of grandparents and a fun, extended family that lived near (within 15 minutes of our home) and that gathered together often and supported each other in all things big and small. We lived in a small town full of kindhearted, hardworking Christian families in a culture that openly expressed love and gratitude. I witnessed gratitude and appreciation through the example of the loving adults around me. They enjoyed serving their neighbors with small acts of kindness, they made time for hugs and small talk, and they showed love and support through their words and actions. They called me by name, took an interest in me, and always made me feel like I mattered.

I’m grateful for my small-town roots - for the examples in my life that showed me it was acceptable to openly show and express love to others. I’m also thankful to have had experiences and friendships that have helped me realize that not all of us grew up in the same environment. Telling someone how much you care for them doesn’t always come easy and thinking of another’s feelings and wellbeing are not always top of mind. Feeling appreciation in your heart and thinking a thought of thanks is good, however, showing appreciation and sharing the thought of gratitude magnifies the impact.

So began the creation of my business, to make it easier to show appreciation and thanks, and to have more people (recipients of your thanks and appreciation) be seen; to know that they matter, that they made a difference, that they are loved and valued. Actions and words can make a world of difference in someone’s life, I’ve seen it in my own life, and I’ve witnessed it’s impact on others. You can make a difference.

I love traveling (and planning travel adventures), reading books and listening to books (my favorite genre is historical fiction, especially big family sagas that span generations and introduce you to countries around the globe) and walks outside with my golden doodle pup, Lily. I love connecting and reconnecting, I value staying in touch with friends and family, knowing what’s going on in their world - like what’s making them smile and what they’re struggling with, and I like to help (listening, connecting, physically helping, showing them that they are loved and supported and that they matter). And I love when others do the same for me.