Holiness to the Lord

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God

(D&C 109:8)

The day finally arrived.
The one we have been anticipating and anxiously awaiting for nearly two years.
It did not disappoint.

It was cold, wet, and wonderful.

Bryson's parents also received tickets for the temple groundbreaking from their ward, so we were fortunate to be able to attend together.  As we were sitting in the seats prior to the service a steady rain was falling.  Bryson frequently would consult his phone to check the weather Doppler, hoping for a sign of improvement, but the storm seemed quite intently situated over our little town.  Nothing could be seen but a vast sea of umbrellas.  The ceremony about to start, my mother-in-law leaned over and quietly remarked, "I think it's about time for everyone to start praying!"

Everyone must have heard her.
Certainly, Someone did.

At the appointed hour, just as the ceremony was about to get underway, the rain slowed.  And stopped.  All that was left was a nearly imperceptible light drizzle-- enough that everyone was able to put the rain gear away, and everyone was able to view the proceedings unimpeded.  A tender mercy for the thousands that had gathered to our beloved wheat field.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve presided over the groundbreaking, and brought an amazing Spirit with him.

"I express gratitude to the Lord for answering our prayers to lift the rain; that's a reminder of His goodness," he remarked, "I observe that it's still pretty cold, and I guess that's a reminder that we're still in mortality and having to work through all the problems involved with that!"

Elder Oaks also spoke of the new temple and how it will stand as a lighted beacon, a symbol of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He continued, "That symbol will be an especially prominent beacon in this location.  Standing just adjacent to I-15, the major north-south artery in Utah, [it] will be a dominant and visible influence on the millions who pass here, by day and by night."

When he spoke those words, I had the strong impression that the Lord wishes that for all of us.  To stand as an example of the believers, to borrow a phrase from the apostle Paul.  If our bodies are temples, then perhaps we should also strive to shine forth, unabashedly representing our Savior.  

Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy conducted the meeting, and in his remarks he spoke of the rich pioneer heritage of our community.  He said, "Many of you here are descendants of the righteous pioneer saints who settled in this area.  Those early pioneers are honored today as their early efforts to strengthen and build up the church have borne fruit unto the fourth and fifth generation."  He also remarked that he was sure that many of those early saints were looking down on the proceedings with joy.

I have such a love for my own pioneer forebearers.  I did not know it when I moved to the area, but some of my ancestors helped settle the land very near to where I now live.  In fact, multiple times a week I drive along the canal that my Grandpa Curtis helped build.  To think of his joy as well as the love and happiness of all the other stalwart saints of the past buoys my own heart.

Sister Janette Hales Beckham, 10th general president of the Young Women's organization also spoke, and her words touched me deeply.  She spoke a lot concerning the family and preparing ourselves to be ready for the new temple.  One phrase she quoted spoke directly to my heart and I recognized it as something I definitely needed to hear.  She said, in reference to teaching our children and coming together as a family, "A table surrounded by eager, hungry children ceases to be a table and becomes an altar."  (I may be paraphrasing just a bit there.)

I loved that image.

Taking care of our children and raising them in the Gospel may not always be a picnic (to use an image from Elder Andersen's recent Conference talk), but it is a holy work.  I needed that reminder after a very difficult week.

The dedicatory prayer offered by Elder Oaks was absolutely beautiful, and as he petitioned for angels to protect the temple grounds I could not help but weep.

I also loved the benediction offered by a sister in our ward, the wife of our Stake Patriarch.  She thanked the Lord for all our field had offered us-- how it had fed and nourished our community with its annual harvest of wheat.  I smiled as I considered how the land would continue to feed and nourish us, just in a different way.

Temples are such a blessing.  I have a very strong testimony of the Spirit that can be only found in the house of the Lord.  I know the Holy Ghost speaks to us there, sometimes with great clarity and insight.  I am so grateful to be able to experience the blessing of raising my children in the (literal) shadow of a temple.

It is extremely motivating.
And humbling.


...Always have the temple in your sights.  Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there...  The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live.  We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down.  As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation.  In this sacred sanctuary, we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified.

- President Thomas S. Monson

{five things for friday • v}

- one -

So I know this is a few weeks old, but I would be amiss if I didn't mention the amazing General Relief Society Meeting on September 24th.  

I was able to attend in person with my family.

My mom and I - isn't she beautiful?  :)

What a fantastic experience.

A lot has been said about President Uchtdorf's talk-- all of it deserved!  

When he spoke about how the Lord would not forget any of us the Spirit was especially strong in the Conference Center.  A tangible presence. 

I think it's important, however, to "forget not" the other three remarkable addresses given that evening.

I especially loved Sister Beck's remarks about Visiting Teaching and ministering more like the Savior.

Such beautiful teachings.

(And I thought the picture of Sister Thompson's grandmother was absolutely adorable!!!)

- two -

It snowed here yesterday.

I have mixed emotions about this.

I love Autumn and the changing seasons... but snow?

It seems all a bit too sudden.

And it will put a wrinkle in my plans to go for an Autumnal drive in the mountains-- all the colorful trees are now covered in a blanket of white.

But on the positive side, I got to break out my new cloche.

I love it.

It makes me feel sort of glamorous, like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.  

I'm not really a glamorous person, but it's fun to pretend anyway.

- three -

If you're in the Salt Lake City area, you ought to go visit the exhibit at the Church History Library that celebrates the history of Relief Society.

There are some amazing items on display, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend some time taking it all in.

My favorite exhibition piece was the original 1842 minute book from Nauvoo.  To see the actual writing documenting our extraordinary beginnings.

I took a picture of it with my phone.

This is the line in the minute book with the famous quote from Emma Smith:

"Pres. Emma Smith remarked -- we are going to do something extraordinary..."

- four -

The temple groundbreaking ceremony is tomorrow.

I am so excited.

So.  Very.  Excited.

- five -

I'm off to a slow start, thanks to a completely chaotic week, but this month I'll be participating in a Book of Mormon forum hosted by Jocelyn at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.

I'll be one of several dozen writers sharing our thoughts and testimonies about this remarkable book of scripture.
It promises to be an inspirational, informational few weeks, and I hope you'll join us!

• • •

And those are my five things for Friday!

mt. loafer, 5:14 pm

Welcome, Autumn!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Conference Highlights & Blog Share

As I have gotten older, General Conference weekend has become a lot like Christmas for me.  I look forward to it for weeks in advance, our whole family comes together, and-- if we do it right-- it is a profound spiritually enriching experience.

I am always a little sad when President Monson delivers his closing remarks in the Sunday afternoon session.  After two days of hearing inspired and inspiring teachings from men and women of God, I just want to keep on going for another few days.  Thankfully, unlike the Christmas holidays, Conference comes around twice a year!  I am also grateful for the personal opportunity I have to teach a class for the women in my church once a month from the teachings of these inspired men and women.

I love this time of year.  After Conference I feel energized, and ready to tackle the world.  It becomes the motivation to engage in, as one writer has termed it, a kind of 4th quarter comeback.   If you've ever wondered what it is that Latter-Day Saints truly believe-- because there are so many misconceptions and untruths out there-- watching or listening to General Conference is a fantastic place to satisfy any curiosity you might have. You can check it out here.

One of the newer (to me) blogs I've been reading lately hosts a General Conference book club each week, and I've decided to join in this time around rather than just lurking in the shadows like I have the last couple of months.  Steph at Diapers & Divinity does a fantastic job; if you're so inclined you can check it out here. 

As part of the General Conference Meme hosted by Steph, here are my answers to the questions posed:

General Conference Highlights:  October 2011

1.  Who were your three favorite speakers?  (Just three!?!)

• Elder Neil L. Andersen
• President Thomas S. Monson
• President Henry B. Eyring

(And my "second place" round would have to go to Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Carl B. Cook, and Sister Elaine S. Dalton-- and I still feel like I'm leaving out some favorites!)

2.  Which talk spoke to you the most?

• Elder Andersen's talk was the one I needed to hear the most this session.  His quotation of President Kimball, "Where is your faith?" will stick with me for many months to come, I am certain.  

3.  What was your favorite hymn and why did it move you?

• Every time I hear "Consider the Lilies," I am moved.  I always picture the Savior teaching His beautiful Sermon on the Mount and imagine myself learning at His feet.  It lifts my soul.

4.  Which speaker was the best dressed?  (Haha, c'mon we can have a bit of fun...)

• I agree with Steph, President Uchtdorf's stylin' purple striped tie just suits his buoyant personality.  Plus, he has great hair.  :)

5.  Were there any topics that you felt were repeated often?  Any Conference "themes"?

• The importance of scripture study, declaring our testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with boldness, increasing our faith in our Savior.

6.  Share a few of your favorite quotes from any of the talks. (Paraphrasing is fine)

• Elder Andersen's reaffirmation of the importance of the family and his quotation from President Kimball, "Where is your faith?"
• President Eyring's story about bearing testimony of the Savior at the university graduation ceremony.
• Elder Carl Cook's quote from President Monson, "It's better to look up."

7.  Name something(s) that made you smile or laugh during Conference.

• President Eyring's remembrance of what happened to Abinadi after he bore his testimony; Elder Carl Cook's story about running into President Monson on a rough day; President Monson's story about the five dollar bill-- but my absolute favorite was President Monson's story about the dedication of the Frankfurt Germany temple and trusting the promptings of the Spirit.

8.  Was there any evidence that your children paid attention?

• My kids are still pretty young, but the older two did give intermittent attention-- especially when President Monson spoke.  During family prayer Taylor, my eldest (6), gave thanks that we could listen to Conference.

9.  What doctrine did you learn as you listened to the choir(s) sing?

• As I listened to the children's choir sing I was reminded of just how precious these little ones truly are.  And when the Tabernacle Choir sang "Consider the Lilies," I was reminded that the Lord is mindful of each of us and holds us in the hollow of His hand.

10.  Did the music enhance your General Conference experience?  How?

• It always does.  I am enormously moved by music on a fundamental level.  It always brings the Spirit.  Plus, my 18 month old little boy would sing along with the Tabernacle Choir-- seeing the music touch his little heart was extremely gratifying.

11.  What are some of your post-Conference goals?

• To engage in deeper and more meaningful prayer.  That is definitely number one.  Also to be less fearful in bearing my testimony, learning the language of the Holy Ghost better, and to continue making scripture study a priority.

Freckles

A few months ago, I happened upon Reilly in my bathroom.  She was scrubbing her face with a great deal of concentration.  She appeared extremely frustrated and on the verge of tears.

"Reilly," I interrupted gently, "what are you doing?"

"I just can't get these dots off my face!" she bemoaned.

I looked at her for a few moments, a little take aback.

"Do you mean your freckles?"  I asked.

She nodded glumly as a single tear slowly ran down her cheek.

I took her into my arms and told her how much I loved her freckles.  How they made her so very special and beautiful.

She was not convinced.  In her mind, these markings were flaws, imperfections that she wanted to rid herself of as quickly as possible.

My heart broke for her.  I wanted nothing more than to show her how lovely she was through my eyes.  To teach her that often in life it is our unique differences that add beauty and depth to the world.

It was a lesson I needed myself.

I've done a lot of thinking about the different paths our lives can take.  No two journeys are the same.  Often we may find ourselves in places we never wanted to be.  It may be through our own weakness, or perhaps through no fault of our own-- but we assess our seemingly unappealing situation and cry out in frustration and despair.  I have done this in my own life again and again.

But as I watched my beautiful daughter look at herself with regret, I had a bit of a paradigm shift.

Perhaps all the bumpy roads and lonely avenues I walked in my past were not something to furiously scratch out of existence.  Certainly I have had regrets, and there are mistakes I have made that I would not repeat again in a million years if the opportunity presented itself.  But the simple fact of the matter is that those choices have been made.  And while the cleansing power of the Atonement makes us whole, and our sins are forgiven and forgotten of God, the power to choose differently is not an option.  We cannot go back and erase our past.  The consequences of our actions remain.

However, I've discovered that as we learn from mistakes made, Christ can turn even our most glaring weaknesses into something beautiful.

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul taught that "all things work together for good to them that love God."  (Romans 8:28)

Also in the Book of Mormon, the Lord explained through the prophet Ether that "my grace is sufficient for all men that humbleth themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  (Ether 12:27)

If we can take our mistakes and bring them to the altar of the Lord, He can transform them into something remarkable.  Our life experiences-- even the not-so-great ones-- can bring a deeper understanding and depth to our lives.  We move forward with greater empathy for others, a deepened humility, and unshakeable conviction of our absolute dependence on our Savior.  The sins are washed away, but the wisdom we acquired will never disappear.  The freckles that we may wish to scrub away have actually become a thing of beauty.

So perhaps when we look back on past regrets with dismay over choices made, we should instead remember how the Lord looks on us after all has been repented of and forgiven.

He wipes away the tears and whispers of our infinite worth.
He longs to show us how we look through his eyes.

Beautiful, unique children of God. 
Freckles and all.

like father, like son

Over the years, there's always been somewhat of a debate over who each child looks more like, Bryson or I.

Different people tend to see different things.

In my own humble opinion, I think that Taylor leans more toward my side of the family, while Reilly resembles Bryson's side.

Dani looks quite a lot like I did as a baby.

But, Logan...

Well, there is no question who his daddy is.

{ Logan on the left, Bryson on the right }

Yep.
No question at all.

Of Such is the Kingdom of God

Last week Bryson got into a lighthearted wrestling match with the kids.  They were having an absolute blast, and our older two were giggling and squealing with delight as they roughhoused with their daddy.

And then suddenly, Taylor decided to take it upon himself to single-handedly win the match.  Leaping with all his might, he landed with both knees onto Bryson's back at full force.

Suffice it to say, the fun quickly ended.

Bryson was in a lot of pain, but with the aid of an electric heating pad and copious amounts of Ibuprofen he was able to get around marginally well by evening.

That night, as we gathered our little brood together for family prayer, it was Reilly's turn to be voice.  With all of her natural compassion and concern, she gently asked Heavenly Father to help her daddy's back feel better.  After closing the prayer, she came over to Bryson and gave him a big hug.  She smiled at him sweetly and leaning in closely asked, "Does it feel better?"

To which, Bryson honestly replied, "A little bit."
She glowed back at him and danced off into the other room.

Bryson turned to me and remarked, "Oh to have the faith of a child!"

Reilly fully expected that Heavenly Father would answer her prayer.  There wasn't a single doubt in her mind.  While sometimes-- most times-- our prayers are not answered instantaneously with our preferred desirable outcome, there is certainly a lesson to be learned.

The Savior himself taught:

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  (Mark 10:14-15)

We must remember that our Father in Heaven is our literal father.  He loves us perfectly, as His little children.  He will never let us down, for he knows our story from beginning to end.  He is preparing our way, that we might learn the lessons that we need to experience for ourselves.  Step by step, He is ever watchful.

And He does answer our prayers.  Of that I am certain.

So in those times of darkness and despair, when we feel that we have been forsaken-- perhaps those are the moments we should strive even more fervently to return to the faith we possessed as a little child.

The pure, innocent trust placed in a loving Father.  

It is a beautiful thing.