Temple Blessings

I believe that it is after a show of our faith that we are blessed and in my life it has been so with my temple attendance.  Although, Doug and I have not always had the convenience of having a temple minutes from our house or one that we could participate in ordinances whenever we had the time to spare,we have always made it a point to have our recommends ready to use at a moment's notice.  Since the San Antonio Temple is one of the small temples it does make events that I grew up with such as "temple night" a little different.  Instead of the bishop picking a night for everyone to show up at the temple to attend one session together, we must each make individual appointments that cannot exceed approximately 40 couples per session.  Understanding that sessions start every  two hours.  Even with these limitations Doug and I have tried to support our bishopric in their request to hold ward temple nights.

Of course getting to the temple is never easy and January was no different.  I suffer from migraine headaches and unfortunately one had come on the day that we were to attend the temple that evening.  By that evening I had done all I could do to get ride of the headache to no avail and had to decided to go to the temple anyway.  So off Doug and I went.  All through the session I sat quietly, not really noticing my head, but by the time I entered the Celestial Room my headache was back at full force.  I didn't even sit down, I just asked Doug if he could please take me home as quickly as possible. 

Needless to say I was the first one back into the dressing room.  As stated before there is quite a space between sessions and usually very little other work being performed at the same time so I had the dressing room to myself (or so I thought).  As I was taking care of my temple clothing I was speaking to my Gran (Granny Smith).  I feel her close to me and speak out loud to her often.  I was telling her that she never did show me how to properly fold these pieces correctly and she did know just the right way to do it so there weren't so many wrinkles.  Then I was thinking over my very busy day and asked her "Well, Gran.....What do you think of me now?" 

As I did my little sniffles and got ready to go change, one of the temple workers came from around the corner and said, "Sister, I feel impressed to tell you that your grandmother is here and she is very proud of you."  Well, you can imagine that opened the flood gates and the tears began to flow.  So as I am trying to pull myself together a sweet sister had entered after the session.  As she is folding her temple clothing, she turns to me and says, "Sister, I feel that I need to give you a hug."  So she reaches up and raps her arms around me and hugs me.  She gives me my Granny's hug, for she is the same size and height as my Gran was.  And it is then that I realize that it is January 13th.  Mary Bell Payton Smith was born January 14th and passed January 15th.

I can't remember the first time that I went to the temple or a time when the temple was not part of my life.  It has been a constant.  I have had some amazing experiences inside the walls, on the grounds, and even seeing  pictures of the temple, but never in my life has an experience....I just don't seem to have the words.    

Unique Experience

     

Yesterday evening I had a very unique experience.  Every Tuesday is Cub Scouts, Activity Days, and Mutual Night for our Ward.  Needless to say our church building is a hopping place to be.  In the hope of making our Boy Scout Program a little more organized I, as advancement coordinator, have designated the first Tuesday of every month as Board of Review night.  So I attended opening exercises with the Young Men and Women  in my scout uniform before performing my Board of Reviews (or is it Boards of Review?).  After the opening song and prayer the Young Women stood to repeat the Young Women's Theme, having been a young women and a leader at one time I stood with them and repeated the theme.  As they sat the Young Men stood and repeated the Boy Scout Law, as I was there in my scout uniform I stood with the young men and a current leader I repeated the law with them.  It was truly a special experience and I felt honored to stand tall with both groups as they repeated values that they were working hard on instilling in their own lives.  I find the examples that they set for me continually raise the bar higher.

Poor Sad Forgotten Blog

My poor sad forgotten blog has sat here so patently waiting for me to return to it and fill it up with doing of our family.  If only I was not so busy with doings of my family I may be able to do this, but I am going to try to turn over a new leaf.  Posting will start again but instead of going all the way back to the end of September when my sad blog was left to wait out the fall and start of winter, I will give updates while interjecting some of the doings in the past.  Hopefully, I will be up to date in the near future. Maybe. Someday.