Sunday, May 15, 2011

Salt Lake Temple - Spiritual Sunday

Saturday morning we woke up, got ready and left our baby with my sister in-law, who lives near Tooele, and headed to the temple at 9:20. As we drove I told the hubs "we're not gonna make the ten o' clock, we're too late!" So we're running from the underground parking at the conference center, trying to get in on time. One of the ladies tells me "you've got about 3 minutes, if you can hurry you'll make it."
I got dressed in what I'm sure was record time, and I walk out to see the chapel emptying out and walking up. A worker notices me and another girl and tells us to just go on up, so we do! I get in and I can't see my husband in there, and the girl with me can't find hers either! Agh! We sit and wait, and they start to shut the doors at 10 and we both get up and tell them our husbands didn't make it :( we walk back to the chapel, and BOTH of them are sitting in there! They even had names already! It was just a horrible mix up of temple workers and time, and ugh!
What happens next? I lose it. Right there in the hallway of the Salt Lake Temple. I had my moms name in hand. I had gone to that temple with the intent of finishing her work. I did her baptism, confirmation and initiatory in the Boise temple, and I wanted to finish it with her endowment in Salt Lake. I just cried on Kellen's shoulder, so sad, so frustrated that there he was, sitting in the chapel waiting, while I was already up there!
I returned to the dressing room to get dressed and leave and when the ladies saw me come back in they asked why I wasn't in the session. Well, that just made me cry alllll over again, and it seemed like they all hugged me. I felt like a total loser! I was a blubbering mess of tears and sadness telling them "this was for my mom! I have a 4 month old and I'm nursing and I can't wait for the 11 session. He won't last that long!"

They suggested that we do some sealings, and that way I could still see the celestial room and be able to be in the temple. So I meet up with Kellen in a sealing room, and I'm still crying. He tells me "let's do the 11, Gage will be fine, and if we don't do it your whole day will be ruined. You came here to do this, we have to go through."
Wow, could I be any more of a pain to those poor ladies in the dressing room? I showed up AGAIN telling them that now I'm going to do the 11 o'clock. They were all happy, though. That's the great thing about the temple, all those people really are just there to help you.
So, we did it. It was really nice. I was sitting in there and thought "I'm FINALLY in the Salt Lake Temple!" After YEARS of looking at it from the outside, I had finally gone in.
It was beautiful. I loved it. Every piece of artwork, every detail, from the carpet to the chairs, I thought it was all perfect.
My baby survived the separation (although, I was in a bit of pain by the time we were reunited...it had been almost 7 hours since I'd fed him!!) and I have no regrets. I did what I went to do, and now her work is done.

Best Utah trip ever.

2 comments:

  1. I seriously just got teary eyed reading this. I know EXACTLY how that goes, when you get emotional and then someone asks you about it, it all just comes flowing out! So glad you got to finish her work, thats so awesome:)

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  2. Ok, so I am crying too!!! I love that you were able to do that work for your mom! It was meant to be! Love you!

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