This is where Sam and I got married. I took this picture about 2 weeks after we got engaged.
This is the Rexburg Idaho LDS (Mormon) temple. While there are many things that are done in a temple, weddings and sealings are one of the most special to me. In the temple we believe that we can be sealed together as well as married. This means that we will continue to be married even after we die. There was no "till death do you part" phrase in our wedding ceremony. Instead there was "for time and all eternity."
I know there are marriages that don't work, and a lot of them. But can I just tell you how much I love the idea of being married to my Cyam for ever? No, I don't really think I can put it into words. I love him, and he loves me and our marriage is going to last for eternity. Does that mean life will be easy? No. Our first 6 months of marriage proved that, even if we had believed the fairy tales that say "They were married, and lived happily ever after." No, the fairy tales are missing a step. There is being married and there is living happily ever after...but in between that there is a lot of hard work. It's not always easy to be married. We certainly have our differences. But both of us are committed to each other, to being married forever. And we can make it work.
Last night we had the opportunity to go back up to the temple. This time we weren't being sealed, but we acted as proxys for people who had passed on before us. We believe that all families should be sealed together, even those who did not live on the earth while a temple such as this one existed. This is one of the reasons Mormons are known for Family History. We go back through our family lines to fill in our family tree. As we fill in the family tree we also make sure to go to the temple to have children sealed to parents. It becomes part of an enormous chain. We are sealed to our ancestors - our parents, who are sealed to their parents, who are sealed to their parents. You can picture how large the chains could get quite quickly.
We are also sealed to our descendants - our children, who are sealed to their children - etc. This means that Caleb is sealed to us forever. He will always be our boy. I know that if he were to be taken from this earth right now, it would be so hard for me. I would miss him more than I can even imagine, I'm sure. But I would find some comfort in my knowledge that not only would I get to see him again, but that he would be my son still.
This knowledge doesn't make every hardship easy. When we lost our first baby it was really hard. Sometimes it's still hard and it's been well over two years now. Sometimes I still feel angry and hurt and confused by the whole experience. And then other times it is so comforting to know that even though we never met that baby, she is still sealed to us forever and we will get to meet her someday.
I love the temple. I love going and feeling the Spirit of the Lord there. It is one of the most special places on earth. There is a climate in that building that is only in the other LDS temples on this earth. What a blessing it is that the Rexburg temple is only a few minutes away and I get to see it out my window every day.
This video shows the inside of the Rexburg temple. It's beautiful isn't it?
For more information on temples visit lds.org
I know there are marriages that don't work, and a lot of them. But can I just tell you how much I love the idea of being married to my Cyam for ever? No, I don't really think I can put it into words. I love him, and he loves me and our marriage is going to last for eternity. Does that mean life will be easy? No. Our first 6 months of marriage proved that, even if we had believed the fairy tales that say "They were married, and lived happily ever after." No, the fairy tales are missing a step. There is being married and there is living happily ever after...but in between that there is a lot of hard work. It's not always easy to be married. We certainly have our differences. But both of us are committed to each other, to being married forever. And we can make it work.
Last night we had the opportunity to go back up to the temple. This time we weren't being sealed, but we acted as proxys for people who had passed on before us. We believe that all families should be sealed together, even those who did not live on the earth while a temple such as this one existed. This is one of the reasons Mormons are known for Family History. We go back through our family lines to fill in our family tree. As we fill in the family tree we also make sure to go to the temple to have children sealed to parents. It becomes part of an enormous chain. We are sealed to our ancestors - our parents, who are sealed to their parents, who are sealed to their parents. You can picture how large the chains could get quite quickly.
We are also sealed to our descendants - our children, who are sealed to their children - etc. This means that Caleb is sealed to us forever. He will always be our boy. I know that if he were to be taken from this earth right now, it would be so hard for me. I would miss him more than I can even imagine, I'm sure. But I would find some comfort in my knowledge that not only would I get to see him again, but that he would be my son still.
This knowledge doesn't make every hardship easy. When we lost our first baby it was really hard. Sometimes it's still hard and it's been well over two years now. Sometimes I still feel angry and hurt and confused by the whole experience. And then other times it is so comforting to know that even though we never met that baby, she is still sealed to us forever and we will get to meet her someday.
I love the temple. I love going and feeling the Spirit of the Lord there. It is one of the most special places on earth. There is a climate in that building that is only in the other LDS temples on this earth. What a blessing it is that the Rexburg temple is only a few minutes away and I get to see it out my window every day.
This video shows the inside of the Rexburg temple. It's beautiful isn't it?
For more information on temples visit lds.org