Today, our family took our yearly (sometimes semiannual) trip to the Mesa Arizona Temple. And, as is usually the case for us on the days of such trips, our feelings are largely rattled at the beginning of the day, and pleasantly smoothed out by the end.
It may come as a surprise to many living elsewhere in the United States, but even though there are lots of members of the LDS Church living in Arizona, not all of them live very close to a temple. We live in Sahuarita (just south of Tucson, in southeast Arizona), and our nearest temple is in Mesa (Phoenix area), which usually means a two-hour-plus drive. If you do the math, that means two hours up, two or so hours in the temple, and another two hours to drive home. Add into that a lunch break (we usually do), and wrangling the kids (whom we usually have to take), and you're looking at a 7 - 8 hour commitment (usually, your whole Saturday) to attend the temple.
It has only gotten more complicated since our kids have been born (and when they're infants, it's almost impossible to go). We don't feel comfortable enough asking anyone to babysit our kids for that long on a Saturday, and although I have a few mission friends who live in the Phoenix area, it can be difficult to coordinate schedules without becoming a burden to them, as well. More often than not, when we go, only one of us can do a session at a time, while the other one hangs out with the kids at a nearby park (or the Temple Visitors' Center, which isn't geared towards small children). Then, after an hour or so, we switch; this of course makes the day even longer.
And last of all, sometimes (okay, always), we get to the temple and find it incredibly crowded & sometimes cramped inside. The Mesa Temple is not our favorite temple to begin with (the interior layout always confuses us), and having to beat our way through crowds of wedding parties only to find out that we're late for the next endowment session and have to wait another half-hour (when our small children are waiting outside) has led to stress on several occasions. There is another temple being built in the Phoenix area that should reduce crowds at the Mesa Temple, but that is still at least a year or two away.
So...this all sounds like complaining. And maybe it is. The above thoughts are what always run through our heads as we're preparing for our trip to Mesa. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves dreading the temple trip, which is of course completely wrong-headed. Many times, we find ourselves snappish & short with each other as we drive north. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced this is one of the Adversary's little ways of discouraging us from attending in the first place.
And then...we get to the temple. And we feel the Spirit within the walls. And everything starts to get a lot better...as it always does!
On this particular trip, we paired up with another family from our ward. We all met at a large park just north of the temple, and then Nathan & I took the first "shift" inside the temple, while the other couple watched the kids.
We decided to do sealings today. For you non-LDS readers, that means we do work for our deceased ancestors in which we "seal together" husbands, wives, and children for all eternity, should they choose to accept that blessing in the spirit world. Without getting too detailed, this work involves kneeling in a room where "live" marriages take place, and hearing vows very similar to what we heard on our own wedding day. Our ten-year anniversary is coming up next month; for Nathan and I, the sealings today became a very sacred, special, and -- dare I say it? -- romantic way to share this special blessing with others that we've been lucky enough to enjoy.
After our work was done, we headed back to the park and took our turn watching all the kids. Luckily, it was a big park with a big playground, and our kids play together very well with those of our ward friends. So, it was a simple matter to feed the kids the occasional snack, keep an eye on the little ones, and enjoy the cool, breezy weather--perfect park weather!--while reflecting on the great spirit we've already felt.
As the afternoon wound down, Lorelai and her friend wanted to visit the Temple Visitors' Center, so we took a short walk down the road to have a look. Since Thanksgiving is almost here, the groundskeepers are hard at work putting up Christmas lights & other holiday decorations all over the temple grounds. Since we won't make it up to Mesa again before the end of the year, it was nice to see all the beautiful embellishments (including the beautiful life-size Nativity on the lawn), even if it wasn't dark out yet and we didn't get the full effect. Still, however, we got to watch a family-centric presentation in the Visitors' Center that made me get all warm & fuzzy, and remind me that even though it stresses me out to bring all my family with me on a temple trip, I love them all and am so grateful for them.
So yeah, there was still a long ride back home, but it didn't feel nearly as bad as the ride up. I am so grateful for the privilege of visiting a House of the Lord. The spiritual feeling inside a temple is truly special, and I have felt many strong impressions there in the past. I am grateful that, thanks to the work performed inside the temple, I can live together with my family forever, even after this life on earth ends. And I'm grateful for a great husband and wonderful children with whom I can share life's great adventure.
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