I missed out on going to the Ogden temple open house because I had the flu and I didn't make it down to Payson because, well, I was pregnant again and didn't feel like trying to wrestle with a 3-year old through a reverent place like that.
Having a bit more of a personal connection with the Provo City Center temple (I attended a few Stake Conferences there, including hearing Sherri Dew speak to us), I knew I wanted to make an effort to make it. I asked Pret if he had any burning desire to go, and he didn't, so I decided I would venture on my own. I had the day off yesterday, so that's when I planned to go.
Our friend Greg was in town, so he decided to go with us. I am so glad he did--he helped "entertain" and distract Lilly to keep her happy through it all. About 3 blocks from our house, I realized that I had totally forgotten to feed my girls breakfast (I had eaten earlier with Pret and I am just used to dropping them off at the babysitter and having her feed them when I am leaving early in the morning like that). Major WHOOPS! I let Lilly know that I was super sorry, but we would have to wait until after the open house because Greg had somewhere to be by a certain time and we were already running that. To add to it, the weather was a bit crazy getting down there, but I think that added to the beauty of the day.
It started, as most open house tours now do, with a video explaining the significance of the temples and why they are so important to our worship. (If you are not LDS/Mormon and want to know more about this, click here.) In the video, they interviewed people asking them why the temple was important to them. The first couple that was shown had lost a young daughter. They spoke of going to the temple before some medical procedures she had gone through and feeling comfort and peace after being reminded of the Plan of Salvation. As they were talking, Lilly, who was sitting next to me, reached over and grabbed my hand. I don't even know if she realized what they were talking about, but I do know that the Spirit touched her at that moment.
Just the night before she had mentioned that she missed Stella. I asked her why she would want her here and she said she wished she could play with her. Lilly and Naomi have really started to actually "play" with each other, so I can imagine that Lilly wonders what it would be like to have Stella around to play with. We spent just a few moments talking about Stella and it was a sweet moment to have shared.
During the video, Naomi starting acting up (I also happened to leave her binkie in the car--major mom fail #2), so I took her to the back of the room. After the lights went back on, she was fine. And as we moved through the temple, she was fine. It was fun to be able to show Lilly some of the things in the temple. The temple itself was beautiful! I especially loved the painted walls in the "instruction rooms." Stunning! When we got to the Celestial Room, Lilly immediately noticed the very large chandelier. She pointed it out to Naomi, who started gibbering right away. Now, Naomi, like many infants, has always had a thing for lights, but she even verges on being obsessed with them. We have some tap-on lights that she loves to play with, she loves turning switches on and off, and she just loves noticing the lights wherever we go. So, it wasn't surprising that she enjoyed the chandeliers, but it was significant to me that she wouldn't stop noticing them and even talking about them the whole time we were in that room. Makes me wondering if the chandelier wasn't the only thing in the top part of that room.
I know that neither of these little things had anything specifically to do with Stella, but it made me know that she was near and watching out for her sisters. We are blessed to have such a strong, valiant spirit watching out for and fighting for our family on the other side. She has been very protective of our family the last little bit. We have called on her and she has responded.
The temple is a place where I know I can always go when I need to feel especially near to her spirit. I am grateful, again, that I was able to take my girls to the temple. I look forward to the time when I can be with them inside as we are all doing work for those on the other side. Keep up your work on that side, Stella--we'll do our best down here!
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| Greg, Lilly, me and Naomi |
