Greetings from the Other Side of the Hard Parts

 

Since the announcement of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple in April of 2020 (and for months before the announcement actually), my family and I have been on quite the journey.

In the last 5 years, I have been serving with all my heart as Communication Director for the Pittsburgh North Stake. Through all of this, I came to understand that the Lord sees to every detail of the building of His temples, and I have grown and changed in so many ways under His tutelage.

I have worked closely with many awesome people in our town, and I've been humbled to work side-by-side with amazing people from every faith and organization in my area. 

I developed photography as a personal hobby and have taken thousands of photos of the temple, its construction from start to completion, special visitors, and my favorite, landscape photos that include the temple.  It has been amazing for my soul to watch how the temple has blessed our family.  I am in awe of all of it.

During that time, I have not blogged. 

As technology moved away from blogging, and as my son became a very controversial online presence with literally millions of followers, I just focused on sharing my testimony in my own life and on my personal social media circles. That has fed my need as a journalist to express myself and fostered many close relationships with people of all walks of life, for which I am so grateful.

As of right now, I am just recovering my blog, as my previous domain name (www.wetalkofchrist.com) got scooped up by someone else (probably when my payment method expired, and I didn't notice).  

Because of trolls online who want to "beef" with my son and what he stands for, I and my blog have been periodically attacked, which at first I found deeply hurtful and unfair. And since the content of this blog and the memories of my kids when they were younger and the lessons that I taught them are so well-documented on this blog, I am protective of it. Given this, I am contemplating just what to do with my blog.

I realized when my blog was unexplainably down for a while, that I rely on this site as a reference for recipes, thoughts, and lessons I have shared. I found it annoying when I couldn't easily access it. And periodically, I still receive very kind emails from people thanking me for certain posts.

So, that is the update. I am still here.  Still in the faith. STRONGER THAN EVER....despite difficult challenges that are just part of mortality, challenges that have seasoned me and brought me depth and wisdom that comes when children become teens and teenagers become adults.

Since it relates to this blog, I will share one more thought.

This blog was founded on one scripture: 2 Nephi 25:26, which says:

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

As I have watched my children move from that innocent, pre-baptism season of life, to the season of accountability and of trial and error, this scripture, that always guided my efforts as a parent became even more vital to me.

And I realized that I didn't fully understand it when they were little.  

When my children were small and incapable of committing sin, I focused mainly on the joy that talking of and preaching about Christ with them brought me.  And the last bit of this scripture, frankly, didn't seem to match the rest of this joyful passage.

But when my kids started making their own choices, I finally understood that the last lines "that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins," was not out of place at all. It was not mistakenly "tacked on" to the end of the passage...it WAS the point.

The point of decades (now) that my husband and I spent "talking of Christ" with our children was so that when the time came, we could have faith that our children are in God's hands now and that they would KNOW to what source they CAN look for a remission of their sins.

I am so grateful for this understanding that has taken me about a decade of difficult experiences to truly grasp. But my faith in Christ has grown, not waned.  

And through it, my new Mom-mantra has become: 

"I raise them. Jesus Saves them."

I don't try to do His job, because that would be very frustrating and frankly impossible. But I can keep doing my job and increase my faith by remaining calm and waiting and watching as His great plan for all of HIS children unfolds over time.

I trust that the Creator of us all, has the ability to bring ALL of His Children Home...in His time.

I am grateful for every woman, sister, and friend I have made over the decade of blogging that I did here. 

Thank you for supporting me with your comments and friendship and helping me grown spiritually as well.

XO, and Merry Christmas, Friends!

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Adding Memories to Family Search

 

Our Stake Presidency has declared this weekend a Stake Temple and Family History Weekend.  We have about 6 different family history and temple tasks to complete by this weekend.  Here are instructions of one of them: 

How to add a memory to Family Search:

(from the website)

1. Sign in to FamilySearch.org.
2. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Memories.
3. In the drop-down menu, click Gallery.
4. Click the plus sign (+) in the green circle.
5. Drag and drop content from your computer to the screen, or click Choose Files.
6. Each photo still has to be tagged individually, but the amount of content you upload at once is up to you.

To upload a memory from the person page:

1. Click the Memories tab.
2. Click either Upload Photo or Upload document, and select the file from your computer.
3. Click Select from Gallery to add an item you have already uploaded. The drag and drop feature is not available to upload memory items on the person's details page.

Using the instructions below, you can upload multiple photos at the same time:

1. To select a consecutive range of photos, find and click the first photo.
2. Press down the Shift button on your keyboard.
3. With the Shift button pressed down, click the last photo in the range of photos that you want to upload.
4. You should see a list of attachments that are highlighted, ready to be uploaded. Follow the onscreen prompts to finish uploading the photos.
5. To select nonconsecutive photos from a folder, find and click the first photo.
6. Press and hold down the Control button (Ctrl).
7. With the Control button pressed down, click all of the photos that you want to upload. Then follow the onscreen prompts to finish uploading the photos.

Steps (mobile app)

You can upload memories from both the Memories mobile app and the Family Tree mobile app. Here is how you do it from the Memories mobile app:

1. Tap the plus sign (+) in the circle.
2. Tap Add Document or Add Photo.
3. Choose between 2 options:

• Select a file from your device, and tap Upload.
• Use the camera feature to capture the content. Edit the photo, and tap Save.

Here's how you do it from the Family Tree mobile app:

1. Tap on an individual to open the person detail page.
2. Tap Memories.
3. Tap the plus sign icon (+).
4. Tap Add Document or Add Photo.
5. Choose between 2 different options:
   
   • Select a file from your device, and tap Upload.
   • Use the camera feature to capture the content. Edit the photo, and tap Save.

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Temple Blessings During a Pandemic

 

One way that the power of the temple has impacted me over the last year is through the example of my 11, now 12-year old daughter. She became eligible to attend the temple for the first time in January 2020. I have never seen one so young prepare so diligently to answer the soul-searching questions she would be asked in her temple recommend interview--questions such as "Do have faith in God and in his son Jesus Christ," and "Do you strive to be honest in all that you do?" Shortly after she attained a temple recommend, temples around the world closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19. A year has passed now, and she is still patiently waiting to enter the temple for the first time. Although this blessing has been slightly delayed for her, I know that choosing each day to live a Godly life and to follow Christ in anticipation of entering the temple has been an even greater blessing for her at this time. I am so grateful for her example, and I am grateful for the power of purity and peace that comes as we grow closer to Christ through temple attendance. "Although our access to the temple right now is limited, it doesn’t change the impact that the temple can have on us in our lives. Through our covenants and ordinances, we have access to the power of godliness in our lives—no matter our circumstances." - Dale G. Renlund

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Easy Temple Embroidery Pattern

 

We're still excited about the upcoming Pittsburgh Temple over here.  

I posted last week about making an embroidery of the temple design, but I needed to make a new one that was a wee bit easier for our Activity Day girls to attempt.

As it turned out, I am not going to be doing the mid-week activities, because my husband is doing the boys' activities and we can't both be at church at the same time, so as a result, I won't be doing this particular craft with the girls, but maybe someone reading this will want to!

I followed the same process as I mentioned in this previous post.  

1. Print out a photo of the temple in the size of your choice.

2. Tape to a window and trace the outline (using a pencil) onto muslin.  (For this one, instead of doing a complete sketch of the details, I just did the outline of the temple.)

3. Back the muslin with thin quilt batting and place in an embroidery frame.

4. Stitch in colors of your choice.

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Temple Experience FHE

As I've mentioned, we're working our way through the Family Proclamation this month, and this week we are focusing on temples.  

The Family Proclamation says, "Sacred covenants and ordinances available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."

As I planned out our study of the Family Proclamation, I felt inspired to create a "temple experience" for my kids in our home.  I hoped this would be more of a sacred learning experience for them, and I'm so pleased that it worked out well.

I unfortunately didn't stop to take very many pictures of it, so I'll just try to describe it.

Using dining room chairs, we set our living room up sort of like an endowment room--with chairs in rows for us to sit in, facing our  wall-mounted TV screen.

As each child went into Dad's office for a "temple recommend" interview, the others sat in the rows of chairs and watched a slideshow that I made of pictures of our family visiting various temples There was soft hymns playing during the slideshow, and it created a nice, calm mood.

Each family member (who participated) came out of Dad's office holding an index card that both Steve and the child had signed.  The little kids, Honor in particular, seemed really pleased to get their faux-recommend.

We then had each child present their recommend to me, and I welcomed them to the "temple".

We then watched the video of Elders Bednar and Rasband giving us a virtual tour of the Rome, Italy temple.  In this video, they do a wonderful job talking about the role of Christ in all aspects of temple worships and explaining the process and purpose of each area of the temple.

The Rome temple is so beautiful!  I can tell that it touched my 4-year old Vall, and it brought a wonderful spirit to our home.  At one point, Val turned to me and asked if Jesus ever went there, and he kept referring to the magnificent chandeliers as "icicles"!

When the video ended, we discussed what we saw, how we felt, what we learned, and fielded questions.  We talked about how everyone dresses the same in the temple and how that promotes unity.  I thought it was neat that they point out that every bride gets to dress in the same beautiful bride's room.  No matter your worldly status, all are equal in the temple.

We then showed one more video.  This one explains and shows the temple ceremonial clothing and the temple garments worn by adult members of the church who have made sacred covenants in the temple.  

I like how at the beginning of the video they mention the sacred clothing worn by religions the world over.  Our sacred clothing is simply worn privately, under our clothing, but serves a similar purpose, to remind us of the promises we've made with God.

Recently, we've been taught (see Elder Bednar's talk here) that we need to teach our children more about the temple in our home.  These videos really make it easier for us to know how to appropriately share what we know and love about the temple and about making and keeping sacred covenants.  In the home and in the family is a beautiful setting for these discussions.

One question that was asked was what happens if someone is upset that they can't enter the temple (except during the open house)?  We talked about how the Lord allows each of us to learn and grow at our own pace.  We are expected to keep God's commandments before we enter his holy places and make sacred covenants.  If we enter before we're ready it really wouldn't help us at all, because we wouldn't appreciate it or hold it sacred.

To end the night, we answered a few more questions about the ceremonial clothing.  Scarlett said that our discussion made her more excited to go to the temple.  

We talked with Autumn about her relationship with the temple. Autumn became eligible to attend the temple over a year ago, but because of the pandemic, still hasn't gone!  What is neat about her story is that when it was time for her temple recommend interview back in January 2020, she showed great seriousness in preparing herself for the interview by studying President Nelson's General Conference talk where he shares just what those interview questions are.  We know that more than going to the temple, our willingness to be worthy to attend the temple is what matters most to the Lord.  The change in who we are is the goal, not just the act of attending His temples.  I expect that when Autumn finally is able to attend the temple herself, it will be a very special experience.

To end our special night together, I reminded our family that Jesus Christ is the center of everything we do and learn in the temple.  

In the temple, we learn that Christ's Atonement is the central act of all earth life and all eternity. It is the purpose of everything and brings purpose to all that we do.  It brings light and hope to our lives.  I also reminded then that if they ever find themselves in a position where they can't enter the temple, because of their own choices or if life just starts to get really hard, Jesus Christ is the way back to the temple.  He is the way to overcome sin.  He is the way to overcome every problem.  Jesus Christ is the way back to our heavenly home.

It was just a wonderful experience to help our children understand the temple more.  And in a time when we cannot enter the temple, for one evening, the temple entered our home.

For anyone who might not have a father in the home full-time, I encourage Mothers to conduct the temple recommend interviews.  To my friend who was worried that her rowdy boys couldn't sit still, I encouraged her to take each boy aside starting with the oldest to do this activity one on one. There is definitely room to adjust this to our different family dynamics and make it work for us!

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Pittsburgh Temple Photos (Before Building!)

I spent the day taking pictures of the future location of the Pittsburgh Temple (and running errands with the kids.) 

It was a great relief to be outside in the sunshine and the fresh, crisp air! My kids enjoyed it too.

The photo above was taken from the backyard of one of my neighbors.  You can see the white steeple of our Stake Center on the left.  The temple lot is to the right and more in the center of this photo.

This is the site of the new temple from the church parking lot.  The temple will be just behind these big pine trees.

And here are a few photos of the chapel we have attended as part of the Cranberry Ward for four years now, and where Honor was recently baptized.

We don't consider it a coincidence that 4.5 years ago, while attending the open house for the Philadelphia Temple, we were befriended by a family in line in front of us.  That family lived in Cranberry Township and highly recommended this place to us, and since we were in need of a place to live at the time, we ended up moving here!  She is now my ministering sister.  He is now a member of our stake presidency.  And WE are preparing to go through the temple-building process all over again.  Only this time, we'll have a front row seat.

Honor received a camera for her birthday last fall, so she was excited to take her own photos of all that we saw.

And Val was excited to draw his own picture of the future temple as soon as we got home!

Here are some posts that I did during the highly-anticipated building of the Philadelphia temple.  

Click on the links to learn more about:

The Cultural Celebration,

The Temple in Construction

The Announcement

What it's Like to Attend A Temple Tour and Open House and The Finished Temple.

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Tour Church History Sites from Home

Honor got a camera for her 8th birthday, and she's having so much fun taking pictures of our family and making videos with her little brothers.  I'm glad she has that camera to be creative, to entertain herself and tp pass the time.

How have you gotten through months of pandemic quarantine?  Like me, maybe you've been baking and feeding your family to keep everyone happy?

I'm reaping the effects of this choice, but there will always be good memories regardless of the pounds we've all gained!

I'm looking forward to doing a bit more low-calorie activities this winter by taking virtual tours of some Church history sites.  

Here is a list, some we've done so far:

Laie Hawaii Temple and Visitors' Center: 

• Request tours here: https://calendly.com/laiehawaiitemplevisitorscentertour

Historic Nauvoo (Brick Shop)

• Request tours here: https://nauvootours.as.me/schedule.php

And we're looking forward to doing these virtual tours in the coming weeks:

Mormon Battalion Center at San Diego

• Request tours here: https://calendly.com/mormonbattalionhs

Virtual Tour of Rome Italy Temple:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2019-01-1000-two-apostles-lead-a-virtual-tour-of-the-rome-italy-temple?lang=eng

A friend of mine posted photos of temples they'd like to visit and it got me thinking of how fun it was to "travel virtually" this December visiting foreign countries, so we'll see how this goes.

You can check out more church history sites and their availability for virtual tours here and here.

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a Time to Prepare

 

We were just doing a little scripture study this evening and we started talking about Joseph Smith's story, how he received the amazing vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, but then had to wait three whole years to receive another heavenly messenger.

Three years is a long time to a 14 year old.  And three years is a long time when you don't know just how long you will wait for further instructions.  Three years is also a long time to wait while being harassed and persecuted by your neighbors and community. (And it would actually be seven years before he received the plates.)

In that "First Vision", Joseph Smith was given a glimpse of the future that would be full of revealed truth that would bless all of the earth, but then he was given years to wait, to learn, to be tested, and to prepare for that future to come to pass.

In our family, we're waiting for blessings to come to pass too.

Last year, we were told in General Conference that we would be getting a temple in Pittsburgh.  And right now, we're waiting.  Waiting for further instruction.  Waiting to know just where the temple will be built. And while we wait, we know that this time is a gift.  It is our time to prepare for the glorious blessings and responsibilities that await.

We decided to ask each member of our family to write down one thing they will do to prepare for the temple. (And then we acted out what we wrote for the rest of the family to guess.)

Here's what we wrote down:

We will prepare for the Pittsburgh Temple by:

Going to church nicely (that was 4 year old Val's, as you can see he drew his as a picture, which is a great comment, because he has been cranky about going to church since the shut-down!)

Reading Scriptures Daily  & Studying the Gospel

Picking up trash by the side of the road.  This was a funny one because our family adopted the road leading up to our house and have been picking up litter there for two years now (which was one of Scarlett's YW Good Works Projects).  If the temple ends up being near our house, it will certainly be like we've been picking up trash from the temple site unknowingly all that time.

Making our Guest Room look nice  & Preparing it for Visitors.  Ever since the announcement, we've been excited to think of a future where we get to put our friends up for the night so they can attend the temple.  After all of these years of having to drive far enough that we needed to either get a hotel or make a long, long day of it.  This bring us a lot of joy.

As I sat in church today, my mind was all over the future temple.

Here are some things I thought about:

1.  I need to carve out time each week to index and do Family History so that WHEN temples open again, or when our temple is ready, I will already have that pattern in my schedule and it can become my temple time.

2. I thought about service I can provide watching other people's children while they attend.

3. I thought about what it might be like to drive by the temple EVERY DAY, which made me reflect on the "drives to church" that I've had through my life.  

As a kid, we drove to church through kind of depressed town and the feeling of peace we had driving home after taking the sacrament really contrasted with our surroundings.  We passed my preschool, crossed a drawbridge, and a lovely park, always in full view of Lake Erie.

While we live in central Pennsylvania, we drove through beautiful countryside, which also took about 20 minutes each way.  I made my kids memorize the landmarks we passed on the way, because it made it seem like not as long of a drive. 

First we drove through our small downtown and crossed the Susquehanna River.  Then we passed the road with big dots painted on the road to make drivers slow down. (My kids' job was to count them.) We passed the sunflower farm, then the sheep out to pasture, and a big tree that looked like a dinosaur high on the ridge.  Then we drove by the little white church set close to the road, then the gun club, and we were almost there, but always watch out for deer!  

Driving to church then was a 20 minute exit from the world and my worries, and I really came to love it.  By the time I got to church, I was calmed by those natural surroundings.

Thinking about the possibility that a temple could be built just minutes away from my house, puts me in awe of a Great God, who can make dreams happen, where I never even imagined such a thing becoming a reality in my life.  Whatever happens, I am completely in awe of Him.  And I hope I can prepare for whatever happens next.

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The Covenant Path

We experienced a spiritual milestone on the covenant path yesterday as we participated with our son Guy by doing baptisms in the temple for the first time.

As with all temple service, it took sacrifice to be able to be in the temple together.  The whole family drove down to Columbus together--a three-hour drive--nothing compared to the eight-hour drive we made as kids to the DC temple, but a sacrifice still.

And it was totally worth it.  Thanks to my Mom for sitting with the other children so Steve, Guy, and I could have this brief moment together in temple service...the first of many, I hope.  Guy was baptized for a family member, a relation of my great uncle, but in addition to that, the temple worker there asked Guy if he would be baptized for three of her close family members--her father, grandfather, and an uncle.

It was a sweet and special moment to do this work for her and to watch Guy embark on his own temple journey.

I have had many special moments in the Columbus Temple.  It's where I took out my own endowments, where I went to learn and grow in my early 20's as a young single adult, and where with my family I witnessed President Hinckley's dedication of the first temple in The Ohio again after the Kirtland temple.

So I'm really an Ohio girl at heart, and it is amazing that no matter how long you're away from a place, you can always see a familiar face at the temple...and yesterday, in addition to my family, I saw two familiar faces--sisters and friends I knew in two different singles wards.

Guy enjoyed his time there and is anxious to return...next time with lots more family names!

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#PhillyLDSTemple Cultural Celebration

Our family really enjoyed seeing the cultural celebration of the Philadelphia Temple last night.  It was our first time attending such an event, so we really didn't know what to expect. 

Our family accidently ended up sitting on the backside of the stage so it was difficult for me to get pictures of all of the amazing things represented in the program, which included William Penn who founded Pennsylvania as a place to worship God, the founding of the United States, the making of the Flag, George Washington at Valley Forge, Benjamin Franklin's innovations, the Restoration of the Priesthood and much more.  But we were able to partake of the spirit and see our young friends perform and share testimony, and that's what matters most.

On the way to the arena at Temple University, our GPS took us through some of the hardest neighborhoods I've seen in quite a while.  This is not news to us who have been attending the open houses for the temple or watching it being built. The temple is located right downtown in some of the roughest neighborhoods in Philly. The neighborhoods where the temple is located are very destitute in a lot of ways.

I share this one photo I snapped as we drove in, but really it is one of the nicer buildings, absolutely does not represent what we really saw.  I just share it for a point of reference.  It struck me as we passed through and saw children playing in vacant lots that passed for "parks".  It humbled me.  It impressed upon me. All I could think was, "And the Lord put a temple here!"  He put a temple here, because He loves ALL of his children.  All nationalities, all colors, all creeds, all ages, all circumstances, all economic classes.  He is actively calling each one of us to come follow Him.

The evening was amazing.  We loved hearing and seeing the youth from our stake bearing such powerful testimonies of the Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel and of the importance of temples.  

Some moments I really liked included hearing the story of young William Penn who prayed to God when he saw his father imprisoned.  Not understanding why just men were punished and then feeling light fill the room and vowing to serve God all his days echoed to experiences shared by George Washington and Joseph Smith who also turned to God in prayer for answers.

I loved seeing George Washington crossing the Delaware river and praying with his soldiers.  During that sequence I watched a group of boys posing as soldiers freezing at Valley Forge.  I saw a boy in a wheelchair being brought over to join with his fellow young men around the campfire.  That also touched my heart.  There is room for everyone is Christ's church.

I also loved the sequence where the founding fathers signed the Constitution. They seemed so vulnerable, but also so clearly willing to do what the Lord wanted them to do and to put their trust in Him.

Some of the more delightful and entertaining sequences were Ben Franklin's kite episode and the type-writer sequence. (Hopefully they will post it online so you can see it!)

But my favorite moment had to be the end of the program as the youth circled the replica of the temple which they helped "build", with hands raised, singing "The Spirit of God".  It was so powerful.  I moved up a few rows higher to get a better picture and when I turned around I noticed that there was a "couple" standing in front of the temple getting married.  The whole scene was moving, positive, joyful, strong.

As we drove home we talked about some of the scenes we saw together. We talked of the temple where there is so much order and how things tend to be in a home where there are mothers and fathers who are actively looking out for families, actively teaching them day in and day out, actively forgiving one another and trying to improve together.  We obseved that the Lord has a pattern that He clearly lays out for us in temples, and if we will do our best to follow it, our families will be happier and stronger. In fact, his pattern is the very reason families exist at all.  And if we turn our backs on it, if we stop trying to do the right things in our families, over time, families fail and societies crumble. If we follow it, regardless of our class or economic status, our families can be happy, strong, and grow to be incredible as generations pass.

As hard as it is at our house these days, as stressful as it tends to be trying to keep our family moving in the right direction during what is a very difficult time for us, I can see that I must keep trying no matter how easy it might seem to give up. As tired as I am of telling the children to clean up after themselves, as tired as I am of trying to teach them to be kind to one another...somewhere I must find the strength to try again, one more day, and the day after that one.  And I know the strength I seek to strengthen my family can be accessed as I worship in the temple.

So those are just some thoughts I had last night.  It was a privilege to watch these amazing youth express their love of the gospel and their joy for life last night.  Now, I need to get ready for the dedication later today.  Have a blessed Sabbath!

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