All Day Stake Temple Day

Once a year our stake encourages members to spend the day in the temple. They encourage anyone who is able, to do at least two things. We look forward to this day every year. They are wonderful days to be in the temple and get to be a part of flooding it with the saints from our area. Today James got a ride down with friends. They left a little after 7 a.m. and made it in the 9 a.m. session. James had intended to do the 11 a.m. session after that, but it was full so he had to do the 11:30 instead. Then he spent some time in initiatory. I met him at the temple with the kids in time for the 3:00 session. I had signed up to do initiatory next, but it was too full so I got to go and do sealings. What a great experience we had!

I have wanted to get pictures of the kids touching the temple because of a quote from President Monson that says that as we touch the temple it will touch us. (I still need to find the exact quote.) A couple of weeks ago we had a member of the temple presidency and his wife visit our ward. They encouraged us to have a picture of the temple in every child's bedroom. I thought it would be more meaningful if the kids were in the picture.

We didn't get to pictures until 6:30 and the kids were tired, chilly, and hungry so they aren't what I had in mind, but I still hope to do something with them and maybe we'll try again next month. Mostly, though, I'm grateful to have had a happy, safe day with my family at the temple. It doesn't get much better than that. I just hope that someday we'll all be inside together.