The Temple

Today was one of several extremely spiritual experiences in my life. We were able to go to the temple with the Simmons as they did the temple work for their son, my nephew, Hayden who passed away last year. It would have been Hayden's 19th birthday today and it was the best way to celebrate him.
As I explained to my kids today, we believe that there are certain things we need to do on Earth in order to make it back to our Heavenly Father. When someone dies before they're able to do those things for themselves, someone else still living on Earth is able to do them for them in the Temple. We go there often because there is a lot of work to do for those who have passed on. It's also a place for us to gain more knowledge and feel close to the spirit. I felt the spirit so strongly today. It was an amazing and special experience and I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to be there. I always love going to the temple, but it was definitely a unique situation today. I left feeling so grateful for family, for the gospel, for a Heavenly Father who loves and wants us to return to Him, for a Savior who sacrificed Himself for us, for our experiences on Earth that prepare us for a wonderful eternity. I left with such a better perspective on life.

After the temple I got to spend some time with my friend Becca. I've been able to see her a lot lately and I love it! She's been such a good friend to me through a lot of hard times and she's always so supportive. I really don't want her to move away next year! But I'm going to enjoy the next 5 months that we get to live so closely to her!