You’ve probably heard the statement, ‘you never know what you have until you lose it.’ Well, count me among the lost and repentant. After living just over nine years in Atlanta, within a thirty minute drive from the temple (a good hour with traffic), I moved in November to Pennsylvania. The nearest temple is now a three hour drive away, assuming no traffic.
Of course, on my first Sunday in our new branch, the subject of the sacrament meeting was temple worship. As I listened to the brother and sister who spoke extol the blessings and joys of temple work, I could only sink lower and lower into my seat. Every year in Atlanta, and during every temple recommend interview, I resolved to do better, to attend once a month. We even had free willing babysitters once a month who took my kids, but my husband and I decided to take a ‘temporal’ date night, always promising that next month we would go to the temple.
I drove down to Atlanta for the Christmas holidays, and in the rush to make sure all of the kids made it into the car, I left my temple recommend at home. Thankfully, the stake president who interviewed my husband and I was a family friend who was willing to give me his cell phone number so the temple folks could call and verify that I did indeed have a recommend. But as I stood outside the temple, so desperate to get inside, I felt like one of the five virgins must have felt when turned away from the bridegroom’s feast.
Having felt the loss so keenly in such a short time, I was able to appreciate the blessings of the temple in full. My husband and I spent several hours there on our anniversary, including some time doing sealings. While we planned to spend such a memorable day sealing couples together, I think I was most moved when we did family sealings. I will always remember the day that my five month old daughter was set on the temple altar and sealed to my husband and I as the happiest day of my life. I knew at that moment that nothing could ever separate us as a family, and I rejoiced last week to make sure that such joy was felt by another mother long past.
Go to the temple. Go often. My husband’s grandmother, who works in the temple, said that the youth far surpassed the goals for baptisms and confirmations, but the rest of the work was behind. Millions are waiting to be united with their families for eternity, to have the same blessings that we sometimes take for granted. If you live near a temple, talk to your stake presidency about providing babysitting once a month; wards can rotate responsibility, giving parents with small children no excuse. The Atlanta stake recently started this, and it has enabled members to attend more frequently and more regularly.
Now if I could only find a babysitter for about twelve hours while we attend…..
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