Hope

Some of our really good friends went through the temple last weekend and we were privileged to be there with them. Jake was acting as the escort for his best friend so he had to be there extra early.Since it seemed silly for us to drive separately, I had some down time to kill on temple square. It was really early in the morning so when I first started to wander, nothing was open yet and there were very few people there. I found a little spot next to the reflection pond and decided to do a little reflecting of my own. I loved gazing up at the spires of the temple. Wondering in awe how the pioneers hoisted those granite blocks without modern day machinery. As I sat, I started to see a few people begin to trickle in. I started to see brides rushing by. Their hair was all pinned up, flowers tucked amid curls, and rosy red cheeks. They were all smiling but rushing. Mom was about 10 yards behind her, dress bag in hand, band of sweat starting to form on her forehead and looking like she had already been up for hours when it was only 8:30. I saw photographers begin to arrive and slowly start to set up the tripods to catch every tear in each brides eye and every kiss. Then came the tourists. They were most fun to watch. They all had a camera in hand, fanny pack strapped at their waist and the sunglasses on their heads. I would occasionally hear a foreign language but no matter where they were from, they all had the same awe inspired look on their faces as they stared up at the temple. Nine o'clock began to draw close and I headed over to the visitor center. Just a few minutes before the clock struck the new hour, I saw floods of sister missionary pour through the gates. Two by two they hustled to their assigned stations. Each were wearing their name tag with a flag from where they were from. It was truly amazing to see the ends of the earth that they came from. I was able to wander through the visitor center and see the new model of the temple. It was truly amazing to see how detailed it was but more than that, it was amazing to see the non-member visitors that flooded through to see it. I stood back and watched the missionaries work. I listened to them testify of the temple and of the church. I watched as people listened and accepted, maybe not converted, but accepted what they were being told. Nobody was there to challenge or argue. Time flew by and the next thing I knew, it was time for me to finally go in the temple. As I walked, I saw a family standing on the temple steps getting their picture taken. It was a dad, mom, and two daughters. I instinctively knew that they had just been sealed together. Not far from them was a bride dressed in her white dress, holding a small baby girl all dressed in white. I heard them chatting as I walked by and they spoke of how excited they were to finally be married and sealed to their baby. As all of these moments began to build up in my head, I started to feel overwhelmed of the things I was witnessing. It hit me that the work of the Lord is alive and well in that place. People are learning and growing, life saving ordinances are being performed daily, families are being sealed for eternity, and visitors are feeling the spirit that resides there. On that day, in that place, I did not feel like I was in a dreary world. I felt like the sun was shining at its brightest. I left that place with hope. Hope for those who don't know, those who know but are lost, and those who are yearning to know. Hope for my children. Hope to finally win this war that we are battling. Hope that I will have more days like this one. Hope!

Just because their cute....