The House of the Lord

On Sunday Cooper was ordained an Elder in our church. This is an important step toward being a missionary.

Yesterday, he took another step. He went to the Philadelphia Temple for his own endowment. This is a very big deal. He was excited and a little nervous. Bryan, Peter, and I went with him and were so happy he made this choice.

Traffic was pretty intense. It took us about two hours to get to the temple. Luckily, we left early enough.

The underground parking garage makes it feel like we're not in the middle of a big city, even before we officially enter the building.

We arrived in time to stop at the Distribution Center, then head into the temple itself. I got a few before shots while we waited for the elevator.

This is the shift that Peter has been serving in for the last six months or so. Several people, when they realized we were Peter's family, told us how wonderful he is and what a great job he's been doing. That was a lovely, unexpected perk of going on a Thursday evening.

There were several people that came to support Cooper. We use last names at church, but for the sake of privacy, I'll list them my first name here:

• Tina and Richard, dear friends from our old ward, they helped prepare Cooper to go to the temple
• Scott and Robyn, Cooper's seminary teachers from his freshman year, they were in our old ward and they moved into the new ward with us, Scott wrote Cooper's letter of recommendation to get into BYU, and they also helped Cooper prepare for the temple
• Dave and Colleen, friends who are in our old ward, Dave is one of Cooper's biggest cheerleaders
• Kim, a good friend from our old ward, she brought her two sons to do baptisms while we were in the endowment session, just so they could be there to greet Cooper when he came out, that was at least three hours in the car just to give Cooper a hug and show their support (her husband was our Bishop in our old ward and would have been there as well if he'd been in town)
• Spencer, Cooper's good friend who went to the temple on Saturday for the first time to prepare for his own mission, and his dad Joe, both from our old ward
• Michael, a good friend from both the old ward and new ward, he serves in the Bishopric and has been one of Cooper's Young Men leaders
• Graham, another one of Cooper's Young Men leaders in our new ward, and the youth Sunday School teacher

It was really meaningful having these friends join us in the temple. They were all so happy for Cooper!

Cooper had a positive experience. He had so many questions that we couldn't answer them all before we had to leave. In fact, just before we stepped outside to take this picture after the session, the security guard locked the doors. Cooper is eager to go back.

We love you, Cooper!

A Living Witness

A week ago Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to an apostle of the Lord. We had a regional training meeting with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Sister Tracy Y. Browning of the Primary General Presidency was also there. I drove two hours to the same church building where the kids had church prom the week before. I had had an impression that I should be the one to drive to the dance so I would be familiar with the area. That was definitely inspiration. When I was just a few minutes away from my meeting the GPS sent me in the wrong direction. I only knew because I'd been there a week before and recognized my surroundings.

The training was fantastic! We had a general meeting with leaders of all the church organizations from several surrounding stakes, from Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Leaders all the way to New Hampshire watched a video broadcast of the meetings. I have many notes about what they said and ideas for our own Primary. Elder Cook bore his apostolic witness of the Savior at the end of the meeting. It was so powerful and worth the four hours I spent in the car that day.

After the general meeting we had a meeting for Primary leaders. I had been asked a few weeks ahead of time if I would lead the opening and closing songs for that meeting. That meant that I sat on the stand with Elder Cook and Sister Browning. When the meeting was over I met them both! I shook Elder Cook's hand and gave Sister Browning a very awkward hug, but she was a good sport about it. I was able to chat for just a few minutes with each of them. Sister Browning said something during that chat that I keep thinking about. "Singing time is Gospel Doctrine for Primary." That's exactly what it is! It's our opportunity to teach the gospel to these kids, through music and testimony.

It was a long, wonderful day.

Blessed

Yesterday morning we made the two hour drive down to Maryland to witness our nephew Legend and niece Zariah be given a name and a blessing. In our church this is usually done when children are infants. However, since Legend and Zariah were adopted into the family in January, they were given their blessings now as bigger kids. It was a gift to hear my brother Jordan be the conduit for both of the powerful and tender blessings.

Plus, we loved getting to see family, even if it was just for sacrament meeting.

Jordan and Leah, thanks for inviting us to be part of this special day!

 

Advanced

Yesterday, in our living room, Bryan ordained Peter a priest in the Aaronic priesthood. Our Bishop and some family members were able to join over Zoom. This was such a blessing and, as my Grandma put it, a lot easier than having them travel to witness this special event. Next Sunday when we have the sacrament at home, Peter will be able to bless it. That is very exciting.

To Guide Us In These Latter-days

Because church is canceled, we had a lovely, very spiritual Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School/Primary lesson on Sunday in our home. Peter prepared the Sacrament, Bryan blessed it, Cooper passed it. They were all so careful and reverent. My heart swelled with joy watching them each serve our family in those ways.

The girls all played a roll as well. Sophie gave our opening prayer, Phoebe shared the third Article of Faith, and I taught the lesson. Peter and Cooper also shared their testimonies of specific topics and everyone participated in the lesson. Topher wanted to share as well, so he stood at the front of the room while Cooper spoke. 

We had planned to take an hour for all of it, but we ended up going closer to an hour and a half, only stopping because Topher needed to take a nap. When I finished my lesson I asked if the kids could feel the Spirit in our home. His presence was strong.

In all of this chaos and uncertainty, I keep going back to a few important points. We've been prepared for this for years. For as long as I can remember the leaders of the Church have counseled us to have food storage on hand in case of an emergency. I have dedicated space in my basement for that food. Additionally, we've been practicing home-centered church for over a year now, ever since President Nelson announced that we needed to realign how we worshiped. Our current experience might have been much more overwhelming if we hadn't already been having several small church lessons each week as a family.

I have a testimony that we have a living Prophet on the earth today. He is inspired. Our family is much more prepared for this pandemic than we might otherwise have been because we listened to and followed his counsel.

A Year in Review

As I said on Monday, Cooper wasn't the only person in our family to give a talk on Sunday. I was the concluding speaker for Sacrament Meeting. My assigned topic was A Year in Review - Challenges and Promises from President Nelson. This was a tricky subject, mostly because it felt like I was giving a book report. But I think I was able to bring enough of a personal connection that it worked. And it was helpful for me to review the words of the Prophet.

This isn't the exact version that I gave. I knew the talk was about a minute too long, but I wasn't sure how the meeting would run, so I left it as it was. Then, while sitting on the stand and watching the clock, I edited. Then, as I was delivering the talk, I did some more editing. That was kind of exciting. Thankfully, Bryan said he couldn't tell I was cutting stuff on the fly.

A Year in Review

It’s that wonderful time of year when we’ve opened all the Christmas gifts, we’ve spent time with family, we may not know what day it is because we’ve been wearing pajamas all week, we’ve reflected back on the last twelve months, and now we have the chance to look forward to a new year and new possibilities. 

While pondering my own upcoming goals, I looked back at my New Year’s resolutions for the last ten years and I found some common themes. I often decide to make sleep a greater priority. This is a consistent failure. I also resolve each year to journal each weekday by writing on our family blog. This is a consistent success. I include goals about reading lots of books and improving my personal Gospel study and being physically active. Some years I add in a goal to help me as a parent such as in 2011 when I wanted to “Smil(e) at my children more than I scowl at them” and 2016 when I wanted to “Speak kindly to my children, even when their behavior makes me feel like my head is going to explode.” 

Have you thought about what you want to accomplish in 2020? 

Over the course of 2019, President Russell M. Nelson gave several addresses to the members of the church. In these talks he challenged us to do specific things, and promised wonderful blessings in return. In preparation to speak today I reviewed seven of these talks. I’ll share five of them with you. I was struck by how often he repeated himself to each group, emphasizing those common themes and directives.

During the April 2019 General Conference, President Nelson spoke to the men and young men of the church. This was a rousing call to repentance titled We Can Do Better and Be Better. He exhorted the men of the church to repent daily. He said, “Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance —of doing and being a little better each day.” In the same talk he said, “Brethren, prayerfully seek to understand what stands in the way of your repentance. Identify what stops you from repenting. And then, change! Repent! All of us can do better and be better than ever before.”

In addition to preaching repentance, he admonished the men of the church to examine how they treat the women in their lives. He said, “Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy. That will tell you where your heart is. Pray to have your heart attuned to your wife’s heart. Seek to bring her joy. Seek her counsel, and listen...If you have a need to repent because of the way you have treated the women closest to you, begin now… Never be the reason that a woman is unable to receive her temple blessings.”

Throughout the course of this talk he kept repeating this challenge: repent, repent, repent, because it is so important. But he included a profound promise. He said, “The Lord needs selfless men who put the welfare of others ahead of their own. He needs men who intentionally work to hear the voice of the Spirit with clarity. He needs men of the covenant who keep their covenants with integrity. He needs...worthy men who can be called upon at a moment’s notice to give blessings with pure hearts, clean minds, and willing hands. The Lord needs men eager to repent —men with a zeal to serve and be part of the Lord’s battalion of worthy priesthood bearers.” Here’s the promise: “I bless you to become those men. I bless you with the courage to repent daily and learn how to exercise full priesthood power. I bless you to communicate the love of the Savior to your wife and children and to all who know you. I bless you to do better and be better. And I bless you that as you make these efforts, you will experience miracles in your life.”

At the October 2019 General Conference, President Nelson turned his attention to the women and young women of the church and spoke about the Priesthood in his talk Spiritual Treasures. While his talk to the men had been replete with admonishments, his talk to the women was full of blessings. He encouraged us to learn about our own personal and divine connection to the Priesthood. He taught, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God… Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how to draw upon that power… Sisters, you have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your family and others you love.”

He gave us specific things to study saying, “I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you.” And then later, “I entreat you to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power. You might begin with Doctrine and Covenants sections 84 and 107.” Our Prophet has told us that we need to learn about the Priesthood! I love this! 

He also asked the women to do something that he had asked the men to do. To the women, he said, “Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world.” I’ll repeat his similar injunction to the men. He said, “Take an inventory of how you spend your time and where you devote your energy.” We all need to look at how we’re using our time and make adjustments so our focus is where it should be. He promises: “As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.”

He closed with beautiful promises to the sisters of the church, “As your understanding increases and as you exercise faith in the Lord and His priesthood power, your ability to draw upon this spiritual treasure that the Lord has made available will increase. As you do so, you will find yourselves better able to help create eternal families that are united, sealed in the temple of the Lord, and full of love for our Heavenly Father and for Jesus Christ.”

In September President Nelson gave a devotional address at Brigham Young University in Provo titled The Love and Laws of God. He spoke of five truths. These truths are

1. You are sons and daughters of God.
2. Truth is truth.
3. God loves every one of us with perfect love.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ, whose Church this is, appoints prophets and apostles to communicate His love and teach His laws.
5. You may know for yourself what is true and what is not by learning to discern the whisperings of the Spirit.

Here, right at the end of a wonderful discourse on truth, came the challenge. He said, “My dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to seek earnestly a confirmation from the Spirit that what I have told you is true and is from the Lord. He has declared that we may seek knowledge from heaven and expect to receive it: “If thou shalt ask,” the Lord promised, “thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge.”...Ask your Heavenly Father if we truly are the Lord’s apostles and prophets. Ask if we have received revelation on this and other matters. Ask if these five truths are, in fact, true.”

This is very similar to what he asked us to do at the conclusion of his April General Conference talk, Come Follow Me. In speaking to those that have chosen not to make covenants with God, he said, ““Pour out your heart to God. Ask Him if these things are true. Make time to study His words. Really study! If you truly love your family and if you desire to be exalted with them throughout eternity, pay the price now —through serious study and fervent prayer —to know these eternal truths and then to abide by them... If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there —if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.” These words, the challenges and promises so beautifully intertwined, are for all of us.

In his Closing Remarks of the October General Conference, President Nelson told us to teach those around us about the Temple, about what is required to enter these sacred buildings. He asked us to be worthy to enter the Temple, adults and youth alike. He said, “Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible... Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord, to be an honest citizen, to be a better example, and to be a holier person.” He taught that this hard work to achieving worthiness comes with blessings. He said, “ I testify that such preparatory work brings innumerable blessings in this life and inconceivable blessings for the life to come, including the perpetuation of your family unit throughout all eternity “in a state of never-ending happiness.”

Finally, after a year of asking us to do better, to be better, to put aside the things of the world, to study, and pray, and gain our own knowledge and witness of the truths of the Gospel, he asked us to prepare for next April. He said, “General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel. You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price... You may wish to ponder important questions such as, “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?” or “How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?” Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable.”

His final promises to us as we undertake these many challenges? “Now in closing, I leave with you my love and my blessing that each of you may become happier and holier with each passing day. Meanwhile, please be assured that revelation continues in the Church and will continue under the Lord’s direction until “the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.””

Our Prophet wants us to become the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be, and he wants us to help prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior. Go back and review for yourselves what he has taught us this past year, then look to the future and make goals that will help you to do better, to be better.

One thing that every talk had in common? He always ends with a firm and steadfast testimony of the Savior. And so should we. I bear my testimony that Jesus Christ lives. He loves us. He has felt our pain, He makes it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I love them both. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Conference Report

This past weekend was something I look forward to every six months, General Conference. I watched nearly all five sessions (I missed part of the Priesthood session doing bedtime stuff) and am looking forward to diving back in to listen to the talks again.

As always, there were certain talks that really stood out to me. Here are the top seven in no particular order:

• Careful Versus Casual by Becky Craven (Peter and Cooper said this was their favorite too.)
• A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells by Henry B. Eyring (This talk was a direct answer to prayer.)
• Behold the Lamb of God by Jeffrey R. Holland
• Abound With Blessings by Dale G. Renlund
• "Come, Follow Me" by President Russell M. Nelson
• Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles by Juan Pablo Villar
• Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness by Sharon L. Eubank

I tried to make that a top five list and couldn't. There were several others talks that I enjoyed and learned from as well. And the music, which is always gorgeous, was stunning. The kids did a great job on Saturday and even shushed each other a few times so they could hear the talks. Sunday was a little rougher, but we made it.

There were a few unexpected moments of humor from things the kids said during Conference. I took notes.

Sophie: What's his name?
Me: President Eyring.
Sophie: President Irony? He's my favorite.

"Wow, he's young".-Peter, looking at Ryan Murphy, the Associate Music Director of The Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square.
"Does he even age?!" -Cooper, right after Peter.

"Key change!" -Sophie, every time there was a key change in any of the songs.

"I don't have a wife. What should I do about that?" -Cooper, after hearing President Nelson talk about Priesthood holders treating their wives well.

I'm so thankful for General Conference. I love the spiritual uplift it gives and the peace it brings into our home.

A Baptism and a Blessing

This weekend two very special events took place. On Saturday morning Phoebe was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bryan performed the ordinance, the Grandmas gave the prayers (Nana Cris the opening and Nana Shari the closing), and the Grandpas gave the talks (Grandpa Marc the Baptism talk and Papa Ron the Holy Ghost talk), Uncle Jordan made cookies, Aunt Leah did Phoebe's hair so it wouldn't float up in the water, I led the music, and Peter (yes, Peter) accompanied the opening and closing songs on the piano. Grandma Bonnie even came out of travel retirement to support Phoebe. True to her name, Phoebe radiated light. It was a lovely day.

Then on Sunday morning, during Sacrament Meeting, Topher received his baby blessing. Bryan gave the blessing with Papa Ron, Grandpa Marc, Uncle Jordan, and our Bishop in the circle. Peter held the microphone. Topher was blessed with a keen mind and with righteousness, among other things. During the blessing Topher was wrapped in an afghan that was made by his Great-Great-Great Aunt Bettie. She made the afghan for Peter's baby blessing and all five children have been wrapped in it for each of their blessings. Bettie passed away this year, it was poignant to have this reminder of her.

Thank you to the family that traveled to be with us for this weekend and for those that were here in spirit. I'm so happy that Phoebe chose to be baptized, that Topher was blessed, and that Bryan was (and is) worthy and able to perform both.

I love my family.

The Song of the Righteous

Peter has taken to keeping a Hymnal next to his bed and reading through the songs before he goes to sleep. When I come to tuck the boys in and sing to them, he asks me to sing a hymn. I suspect this is because he no longer goes to Primary, but to Priesthood as his third-hour church meeting. And in Priesthood they sing hymns.

I love that he's trying to commit the hymns to memory. They are a great source of comfort to me and a boon to my testimony, and I believe they can be the same for him.

'Twas the Night Before School

Last night we had our traditional night-before-the-start-of-school Family Home Evening. Bryan gave each child a father's blessing. It was a lovely, spiritual experience. Each blessing was unique, but they did share two common elements. Each child was told that they have a sharp mind and that they should learn to work hard and not procrastinate. When the three oldest were done, Bryan called Sophie up and she happily hopped out of her seat to have her blessing as well. She was told to obey her mom and continue being good.

When we finished, Bryan had the kids get out a piece of paper and a pen and write down their impressions. Peter took it a step further and wrote out his list of goals for the school year. Most of them were about being a good role model and friend and working hard.

Then the kids set out their clothes for the first day and did their best to fall asleep despite a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

Ready or not for the new year, here we come!

Hard Things

Why, hello there.

Did you miss me yesterday? Did you notice I was gone? I noticed, but the day was so full, I didn't have a chance to write anything until after midnight. I've run into this problem before, and I usually post something really quickly and backdate the publishing time. But last night I was just done. I feel like I've been running, burning the candle at both ends, juggling too much for too long, basically the whole time we've been in PA. And last night I was simply too tired.

Because, you see, it's been a difficult few weeks. Lots of very hard emotional stuff has been going on. I'm going to be obnoxious and not go into details, because not all of the details are mine to share. But at least one thing I can tell you is this: Peter is being bullied at school. A lot. He's been punched and kicked and pushed to the floor. Kids have called him stupid and other names on a regular basis. And on Tuesday one of Peter's classmates told Peter, "Everyone wishes you were dead."

So.

We've spent the last two days talking with and listening to Peter. We've notified the school and counseled with our parents. Bryan gave Peter a lovely blessing of comfort that reminded him of his natural gift for happiness. We spent several hours last night trying to figure out what to do.

And that is why I didn't blog. My heart and my mind were simply too tired.

Every Six Months

General Conference is this weekend! I've been looking forward to this for the last six months. I love hearing from the Prophet and other leaders for our church. It fills my soul.

Curious about what eight hours of spiritual nourishment looks like? Everyone can watch Conference from their own computer. You can go to this website for all the dates and times. We'll be watching from our Roku (if we can find it) or connecting a laptop to our TV.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from last April's General Conference.

Source

It's Great to be Eight: Cooper Edition

Cooper turned eight this month! In our church eight is an extra special age because that's when kids have the opportunity to be baptized. Cooper chose to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized by his dad on Easter Sunday.

We were so happy to have members of our family drive and fly hundreds of miles to be there to support Cooper. He asked each one of them to participate in the meeting. This is what the program looked like:

Pianist: Nana Shari

Chorister: Aunt Kate

Opening Song: When I Am Baptized

Opening Prayer: Nana Cris

Baptism Talk: Papa Ron

Holy Ghost Talk: Grandpa Marc

Closing Prayer: Great-Grandma Bonnie

Refreshments: Uncle Jordan

We are so happy that Cooper made this wonderful choice. Having his baptism on Easter, with so much family there, made it an extra special day.

Nauvoo

On Wednesday morning of our trek across the country we started our day by crossing the Mississippi. Remember the first time I crossed that mighty river? Well, I didn't yell and whoop this time, but it was still pretty awesome.

Why did we cross the Mississippi? To visit Nauvoo. We started at the Visitor's Center. We saw lots of beautiful paintings and sculptures, saw pioneer artifacts, and watched a movie about life in Nauvoo.

Then, after we had all enjoyed the history, clean bathrooms, and AC, we headed outside to queue up for a wagon ride. We got to know the horses, Lehi and Nephi, before we began.

We boasted the youngest passengers on the wagon, which just meant that we couldn't pay attention to the stories being told because we were trying to stop our children from poking at each other and distracting our fellow travelers. I thought it would be a short ride around a grove, something to give us a pioneer-like experience. This notion (founded on nothing but my own imagination) is why I didn't bring the diaper bag. I was wrong. The ride lasted for 45 minutes. I loved hearing the stories of the pioneers that settled Nauvoo, and seeing where those stories actually happened. But poor Sophie, she was a hungry and tired girl. I bounced and soothed and calmed and very nearly nursed her on the wagon, sans blanket. However, the ride ended just in time. I'm sure everyone on the wagon was grateful.

The best part of the day? The night before we went to Nauvoo we sent Bryan's mom a message letting her know where we would be sleeping, updating her on our progress. On Wednesday morning she talked to Bryan's sister Melinda and said that we would be in Nauvoo that day. Melinda and her family decided spur of the moment to load into their car and drive three hours to spend the day with us!

We loved seeing Melinda and Jake and their two little boys! I got to meet Sam, my newest nephew, and the kids got to spend some time with their only first cousins on Bryan's side of the family. Nathan was my little buddy all day and he often sought out my hand to hold. He is so sweet. It's a rare privilege when I get to be the aunt.

Our time was limited, so we picked only a few places to visit. We heard stories and got cookie samples at the Scovil Bakery, walked where Joseph Smith once walked on the original wood floor upstairs in the Cultural Hall, and spent time learning about pioneer life in the Family Living Center. Below you can see the kids working under the tutelage of one of the Senior missionaries, making rope.

Then most of our group listened to a cooper describe, in detail, the process of making a barrel. Our Cooper was pretty entertained, despite the expression on his face in the picture below.

I only heard parts of the explanation. Sweet Sophie was loudly letting me know she was tired, so we walked around outside and enjoyed the gorgeous gardens. Walking through the flowers, listening to the insect orchestra, feeling that glorious humidity on my skin, I can understand why the Saints loved Nauvoo. After Sophie dozed off she and I returned to the group.

While the grownups probably could have stayed and learned more (I was itching to listen to the bread-making demonstration) the kids were all tired and hungry. We gathered ourselves together and left. And of course, it wasn't until we were away from beautiful Nauvoo that we realized we hadn't taken a picture of the whole group. So we found a nice looking brick wall outside of Wendy's and had a little photo shoot. Nathan's pose is my favorite.

Look! Bryan was there too! I think Sam is hidden, since he can't walk yet and therefore probably didn't wander off. Also, Sophie looks like she's just tolerating our shenanigans at this point in the day.

We sent Melinda and company on their way (thank you for spending the day with us!). Then we went back to Nauvoo to the most important place in town.

The Nauvoo Temple is gorgeous, but it is the wonderful feeling of peace emanating from it that makes it truly magnificent. It is not just a building; it is the Lord's house.

Next time I hope to be in Nauvoo long enough to spend time inside the Temple as well as out. No matter that we were only there for a day, I am so thankful that we pushed through those first few days so we could dedicate more time to this beautiful place.

Peace

When we got to church on Sunday Sophie was not in a good mood. In the last month we've learned that she is quite good at communicating her needs and wants, and in the few minutes before church began she was communicating at full volume. I had visions of not being able to hear the blessing over her screams. So I did the only thing I could think of: I whisked her away to the mother's room.

In twelve minutes she went from being an angry baby to being clean and fed, which equals happy in her world. Still, I was nervous.

When the time came, Bryan carried Sophie up to the front of the chapel. During the blessing I didn't hear a peep from her. I wondered if she'd gone to sleep. I was able to hear everything that Bryan said. Afterward, Bryan told me that she was wide awake and watching him during the whole blessing.

One thing that Bryan said that stood out to me was that Sophie would bring light and happiness and peace into our family. I think her calm demeanor during her blessing is a beautiful display of that peaceful nature.