A Fine Morning

I miss having temples near by.

Growing up in Salt Lake City, it was something I took for granted, until I moved away.

I was visiting with a friend here in Austin, Texas, and she asked me what I thought of the live endowment sessions performed in the Salt Lake Temple. "Well," I said, "I've never been to a live session at the Salt Lake Temple." The woman was dumbfounded. How could I live in Utah for 32 years, and never attend an endowment session at the Salt Lake Temple? I honestly felt embarrassed that I had never appreciated the opportunities that surrounded me while I lived there.

On this last trip to Utah, I made certain to venture to Salt Lake City, and attend the temple there. My mom and brother, Derall, were able to go with me.

The session was incredible and facilitated poignant moments for me that I hadn't experienced before. I'm starting to understand how our growth in the gospel really comes line upon line, and precept upon precept, IF we are living worthily and seeking for guidance. I had new thoughts and understanding come to me from the same messages I'd heard before.

After our session we lingered in the Celestial room and enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us. Every inch of this room is detailed and ornate. It was a humbling reminder to me of the sacrifices the early pioneers made to erect such a majestic house of God, when they themselves were living in modest log homes.

As we were lingering, my mom noticed that the doors to the room where she and my dad were sealed were opened. We wandered in and soaked up the wonderful spirit that was present. My mom then began to recount her wedding day to me and my brother. She described her mixed emotions of excitement and trepidation as she waited for the ceremony to begin. She said she was sitting in the Celestial room thinking, "what the heck am I doing?". She told us how the sealer had looked at my dad and told him that, "for every nickle he spent on a loaf of bread, he also needed to spend on a flower". And she wept as she spoke of her ongoing love and longing for my little dad whose been passed six years now.

I smiled as I visualized my parents in that room over 40 years ago making the most solemn promises and covenants to love, honor, and be committed to each other. I felt such appreciation and admiration toward them for keeping their vows to each other through all the bumps and rocky roads that accompany a marriage. AND it made me want to go home and squish my own hunka-hunka-burning-love Tyler.

It was a great experience, one that I'll always cherish!