Wonderful Temple Day

Yesterday I had a wonderfully intersting day. It started fairly normally working for the day. It was a good day, eveyone got along for a change which was nice! The plan was to go to the Boston Temple after work and to meet Danny & Craig there. A little after 4pm I got a text from Danny saying that she and Craig were going to head to the temple the next day instead.

I immediately began thinking of reasons why not to go to the temple alone. I don't mind going alone, it was just that the laziness of the end of the day at work was setting in! I called Nicole and Muma Cote to see what they were doing that night 'cause I didn't want to go home and sit all night but neither of them answered. In the end this was a blessing.

One reason I found not to go to the temple was the wind. It was so bad yesterday (gusts up to 50 mph) that a large metal door blew off the roof of my work! I knew with such heavy winds that the driving on the highway would not be fun. I also figured that as I was working an early shift on Monday that I could just go then. I continued waffling between going to the temple or heading home until I was out the door and in the car. It was such a nice sunny day outside, it just felt like the perfect day to drive to the temple. Once in the car I grabbed the bag with my skirt in it and ran back into my store to change so I could go to the temple. I'm so indecisive!

Other than the wind it was a pleasant drive to the temple. When I got there I had an extra hour before the 7pm session began. I changed into my temple dress and took the new Ensign magazine down to the cafeteria for dinner. I had a yummy salad and a peanut butter cookie as I always do at the temple and read a few great articles to get me into the Spirit of the temple. I arrived upstairs just in time to make it to the session and not have to wait around for every long.

Almost immediately upon entering the endowment room my mind began to wonder why I had the strong feeling that I needed to go to the temple that day and not on Monday. I quickly remembered that the temple is not open on Mondays. My mind continued to churn and I soon realized that it was the 1 year anniversary of my own endowment. I can hardly believe that I didn't see the date coming or realize it until I was in the endowment room. What better way to celebrate that amazing anniversary. The session was lovely as usual and time seemed to pass quickly. As I was sitting in the celestial room I was looking around and I was surrounded by lovely couples. Sweet young couples right up through adorable older couples. I was filled with joy and sadness. I couldn't help but wish that I were there as part of a couple and not alone.

When I left the celestial room an attendant asked I wanted to do sealings...a strange idea for me as I have never even seen a sealing since all of my friends got married before I could go to the temple. The spirit was so strong and the couples in the room so sweet I couldn't help but cry a little. Just thinking about all those families being united for eternity and imagining how those people were feeling at that moment filled my heart. The Spirit of joy and love was so strong I was no longer filled with jealousy or longing for myself but awe and amazement at the love that God has for each of us.

After the session was over I went to the dressing room to change and go home. There I had a wonderful chat with a sister that I had seen in the dressing room almost 4 hours before and who had been in both sessions I had attended that night. It is always amazing to me to know that the Spirit of God inspires others to say to me just what I need to hear at that moment. This sweet sister told me a story of her older sister that gives me hope for the future and the strength to remember that God has a plan for each of us.

This woman's sister married young and quickly and it was not a good situation. She had a baby right away and the marriage ended within a years time. At that point she decided she was done with relationships and that she was going to do everything she needed to give herself and her baby a good life. She is active in the Church and regularly attends the temple and her family is strong and healthy. A few months ago a new member of her ward was giving a talk in sacrament meeting and the spirit said to her that this man would play a part in her life. As this sister is now 48 and has not had a relationship in about 2 decades she shrugged it off as impossible. When she left sacrament meeting that morning the man who had given a talk asked her if he could take her for a drive that afternoon after church. She said yes, and 3 months later she is deeply in love with this wonderful Priesthood holder that she never though would arrive in her life.

This is not a fairy tale, this is the story of two strong people who were patient enough to find one another and let the Lord guide their steps. The Preisthood holder who ran the sealing session last night said something that I think describes the wonderful story this sister told me and that reminds me to have faith that the Lord knows my needs and wishes. He said that the moment you find the one who will be your spouse is the most amazing moment of your life. He said that the task of finding the one you will marry is almost an insurmountable task and that we need to have faith that the Lord can bring us together. That the Lord wants us to find our spouse and that He will do what is needed to make our paths cross. It is just up to us to follow our feet on the path that the Lord sets before us and do all that we can to recognize the blessings bestowed upon us.

I am so grateful for the chance that I had to go to the temple last night and to feel and recognize the amazing blessings of the Lord in my life. Thank you to the sweet sister who shared her time and her life with me and the story of her amazing sister. Thank you for reading about my amazing day.