Katy B. is a wife, a mother, a writer, a music lover, a blogger, a photographer and an overall enjoyer of life. Her family is everything to her! I met Katy through MMB and have really enjoyed what she has to say on her blog Our Daisy Life. I also admire her personal dedication to come unto Christ. I'm so glad that she accepted my invitation to come talk to us today.
Here's Katy...
"The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave"
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
I remember the first time I went inside the temple. I had just turned twelve years old and was going with my mutal group to do baptisims for the dead. It was on a wednesday afternoon that I entered the house of the Lord. It was so beautiful. But I couldn't shake the nervousness I felt inside.
After being ushered into a room that looked like a small version of our chapel at church, I sat down with the other girls that had come with me....some of them I knew....most I did not. I tried to stare straight ahead and focus on the music that was softly being played by an organ at the front of the room. I tried to look at the beautiful artwork displayed on the walls. I tried to feel the spirit of what I was about to do. Perform sacred ordinances for those that left this earthlife without having them done. I found my eyes stareing blankly at my tightly folded hands in my lap. Something in my mind just wasn't connecting with my heart.
Then I heard her voice.
I looked up and saw her face.
She was wearing a white dress that came in a close second to the brightness I saw in her eyes.
I immediately stood up and went to her, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist as her lips kissed the top of my head.
My grandmother was with me in the temple.
As a temple worker, she had been in another part of the temple doing service and had been told by a friend of hers who had been working in the baptistry where I was, that my ward group was there. So she rushed to where I was to see me.
We whispered "hellos" and "how are yous" to each other. She was so excited to be with me the first time I set foot in the house of the Lord. And that is when it all clicked. I felt my heart and head connect in understanding. The work I was going to do was a part of Heavenly Fathers plan. To unite families beyond the grave. To make bonds unbroken with loved ones. Just as I was able to feel my Grandmother's arms around me, others were waiting for me to do there work so that they too could embrace their loved ones.
Little did I know then, that would be the only time I would be with my Grandmother in the temple. She passed away four years later.
But on the day I walked into the temple to take out my own endowments, I felt her there.
And when I was sealed to my husband, she was there.
And every time since then, she has been there with me.
I still remember her smile, her bright countenance, her unfailing love for me and for her Savior...her spirit comes to me when I walk in those sacred doors of the temple. And one day when my children prepare to walk into the doors of the Temple, I will tell them of her. I will share with them my testimony of temple work, how it unites families for eternity. How it helps us come unto Christ. And my children will see my testimony of temple work shining in my eyes as I saw it in my Grandmother's all those years ago.
Katy B.
~~~
Thanks for sharing your testimony with us, Katy!
Now comment away...and...click over to Chocolate On My Cranium to read more on the family today.
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Beautiful post, Katy!
ReplyDeleteJoceyln, its funny but I am also getting ready to blog about temples and the family being sealed for all eternity. Its amazing how two people so far apart can have the same thought...great post...hugs.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish that all families could have special moments like this with one another. It would really tie the past and present generations to one another...and build respect for future generations! Thanks for sharing this, Katy!
ReplyDeleteKaty, with tears in my eyes, I just want to say that was simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing that experience.
ReplyDeleteThe temple truly is a beautiful place. What a blessing here on this earth for us.
ReplyDeleteThank you Katy, for your beautiful testimony! What a great experience for you! The temple truly is the House of God here on earth!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story.
ReplyDeleteOh, Katy, you made me cry! That is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing such a sweet experience and testimony. It's strengthened mine:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great memory! There is a spirit in the temple you can't feel anywhere else, how wonderful that feeling is so linked to you Grandmother. Lovely story!
ReplyDeleteI am totally crying! Those moments in the temple are so special. I love being there!
ReplyDeleteYour post brought tears to my eyes too!
ReplyDeleteAs a convert to the church, I was the first in my family to step into a temple. I felt very alone in those cavernous rooms - but that feeling passed quickly and has never returned.
Because, sometimes, I do feel the spirits of my ancestors waiting for me there when I enter to do their work. I imagine an excited whisper, a fervent hug and a soft kiss on my head when I take my seat for their initiatory work. I sometimes wish I could find housing at the bottom of the hill so I could visit the temple every day.
I love this post! It made me tear up a bit..and your descriptions of your feelings in the temple for the first time were spot on;)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share this memory with others. And such sweet and kind comments....now I have this urge to go to the temple right this minute. :):):)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great how Heavenly Father makes special opportunities for us to make connections that will change our lives . . . our own personal AHA moments!!!! Since having children, we have not made it to the temple as often as we would like (we were once-a-monthers before, even with the three-hour trek to get to the temple). But we talk about the temple, we drive by one whenever we are in a town that has one in it, we have pictures of the temple, and every night when we ask our two-year-olds what song we should sing that night, they excitedly scream, "TEMPLE!!!!" It truly is such a blessing to have memories of and a testimony of that "sacred place, a place of love and beauty" and the ordinances and covenants made there. Thanks for your experience and your testimony!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story. My grandmother returned to activity in the church and accompanied me to the temple when I was married in Salt Lake City's temple. I've felt her at other times too. Love and family are strong bonds.
ReplyDeleteI loved this. What a simple and wonderful story. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSo beautifully said about your Grandma. We have both sets of parents in town. And a temple. I cherish every second with them there.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! When I was married in the temple, the sealer (who was also my husband's grandfather), promised my side of the family that my deceased grandparents were there. Judging from the wet eyes in the room, we all felt their presence.
ReplyDeletemy father died when I was 4 months old. On the day I was married in Manti there was ONE empty chair...and I envisioned my father there, with my beloved grandfather standing behind him. I didn't 'see' them...but I knew they'd be there. Nothing would have kept them from me on that day. Thank you for a lovely memory.
ReplyDeleteHeavenly Father allows the veil to be very thin at times. The temple is one of those places so that we can feel and know family. It's what it's all about!
ReplyDeleteI got the chills while reading that. What a great post!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful testimony of the temple! My husband and I work in the temple once a week and for the next few weeks we will be assigned to the baptistry. Your post reminded me that for many of the youth coming to do baptisms are also coming to the temple for the first time, and that I need to do all I can to help them really feel the spirit there!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post... comes at a good time.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful words about your experience with grandma in the temple, little sis! Glad I was doing some blog stalking this morning to stumble upon this post. Love it, love you!!!
ReplyDeleteMy father died in 1970, I had been married in 1969, but I first went to the temple in the mid-90's. When I knelt at the altar to be sealed to my parents, they were definitely there. That same day, 4 generations were sealed together in the temple, and I felt as if I had come home again, and I felt all of those spirits around me at the altar as we became a family once more. That experience was one I will never forget, and I know that there will be quite a crowd to meet me when I step back through the veil one day. This post brought all those feelings back to me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful blog! I very much enjoyed it.
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