A Place of Love and Beauty

This week, I went to the temple. (I try to go every week whenever I can, since we live so close to the temple now). I love the temple. In one of John's favorite songs, "I Love to See the Temple," it calls the temple "A place of love and beauty," and I truly felt that. not just on the outside is the temple beautiful, but on the inside. It not just that though. The people who are in the temple make it beautiful, maybe not because they look like super models, but just because they are full of goodness and light and kindness and joy. When I was leaving, one of the nice women that was working with me in the temple, a temple worker (a volunteer who spends about 6 hours every other week, helping people in the temple - a wonderful job!!), said to me with such sincerity, "Oh thank you so much for being here! You are so lovely! You have such a pretty face." On that day, I wasn't wearing any make-up, and hadn't even gotten a shower in that day, but she thought I was beautiful. I hope that was partly because of the way I am on the inside. I hope that I can add to the beauty and love in the temple. I felt so much love there. Everything we do in the temple is because of love.

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It snowed a whole heap this morning, and the roads were deemed unsafe. Church was cancelled. We live in an amazing place, in which more than half of the tenants are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of our friends, the Shurtz family, invited everyone who wanted to to join them at there home to have church there. They had already prepared a lesson for the children in their primary class (the children's Sunday School), and their neighbor had already prepared a lesson that she could teach to the adults. So we all got dressed in our Sunday Best (John loves to wear a tie and go to church!) and walked the 7 houses down to the Shurtz' home. It was wonderful! We had an inspiring discussion about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to be a member of this church. It enriches every aspect of my life, and I could not do without it.