More SLC Temple Pics

I did manage to take a few photos of the Salt Lake Temple besides those in my last post.  Though none of these have rainbows, some of them still turned out rather neat.

This picture looks like I did some rather fancy imaging editing on photoshop, but really it is just...

the reflection of the temple in the reflecting pond.  Cool, huh? 

 What do you like better?  Upside down, or flipped right side up?  I'm torn.  

I found out that if I used my polarizing filter, the temple completely disappeared, so no polarizer for this shot.

The grid of tile and shimmering coins give it a fun, modern look, don't you think?



I made a few ripples with my foot for fun.

It was fun trying to come up with something a bit unique and different when trying to take pictures of something as oft-photographed as the Salt Lake Temple.  I love that temple!
   

I Like to Look for Rainbows...

While in Salt Lake City, I got up early on Saturday morning in hopes of getting some nice pictures of the Salt Lake Temple.  I was hoping that the early morning light would give me some really great highlights and shadows and that would translate into really interesting photographs and perhaps something I might want to watercolor.  My hotel was several blocks away, and I walked there early enough to be there when the sun came up.  I found a nice spot across from the church office building and waited for the sun.  But as the sky turned lighter my prospects did not look good.  The sky was blanketed with grey clouds, and I was worried that when the sun did come up over the Eastern mountains, the clouds would hamper any hopes of shadows.  I had time, so I decided to sit and wait, in hopes that the clouds might blow off.  While I waited, I pulled out my scriptures and started to read.  It started to rain, and I relocated myself under a large tree, reading my scriptures, periodically looking up to the east, to watch the sun making its ascent up over the mountains, hoping the clouds would part, and the sun would come out so that I could get my bright light and shadows that I had been hoping for.  As I read my scriptures, and tried to keep them out of the mist and sprinkles, the sun finally came up above the eastern hills.  But the clouds had thickened instead of blown off and I knew my hopes of great morning light on the temple were not to be.  Then I turned my head away from the rising sun that I had been watching and toward the temple.  What I saw there took my breath away!  There, curving perfectly over the house of the Lord, was a luminous rainbow!   I looked around to see if anyone was around to share the wonderful sight, but I was all alone.  This wonderful scene was a gift, just for me!  My heart skipped a beat as I grabbed my camera and took several pictures of it before it faded away into the mist, as suddenly as it had come.

I sat back down under the big tree as the rain began to fall more steadily.  The sun never peeked through the clouds again.  Soon there were a few people around, on their way to the temple and such.  As I sat there I was completely overwhelmed with what I had just experienced, and the gift the Lord had just given me.  I realized that I had come this morning really wanting something - really wanting to take some nice pictures of the Salt Lake Temple.  So I was looking for the sunlight, and the accompanying great light and shadows.  That was what I was hoping for, and I had been disappointed by the rain.  But the Lord had something different in mind for me - something so much better.  He sent me a rare and wonderful rainbow, curving perfectly over his house - a gift of beauty and light, but one that is only visible in the rain.  I had been keeping my eyes, and my hopes on the rising sun - hoping and praying that the light would come and the clouds would clear, and was feeling disappointed and despairing that it would not happen.  It wasn't until I turned to look at the temple, that I saw the rainbow.

What would have happened if I had kept my eyes on the sunrise and had never turned to see that temple when I did?  Surely I would have missed the rainbow all together.  I realized that there was a profound lesson for me here.  Sometimes we want something and hope and pray that we will get our desires.  But when the rainclouds hang overhead and threaten, and when the sprinkles start falling on our hopes and dreams, we think that the Lord had decided not to give us what we think we need and want.  This may be true, but he may not give us what we ask for because he has something better in mind for us, something greater than we would ever hope for or even imagine for ourselves.  I wanted bright morning sun, and he sent me a rainbow instead.  Most mornings there is usually bright morning sun on that temple.  I would certainly get my chance on another trip to Salt Lake.  But a perfect rainbow curving gracefully over the temple was a rare and beautiful gift - something I could never have planned .  Even a professional photographer could not have planned it like this.  It made for a beautiful (albeit amateur) picture, and an even lovelier memory.  I knew at that moment that the Lord loves me.  ME!  This rainbow was a tender mercy of a loving father for his imperfect, yet beloved daughter.  The spirit bore witness of his love for me at that moment.

In life, we have challenges and problems, and we think we know what we need to make things better - if the Lord would just send us what we think we need.  But the Lord who loves us and knows us often has something else in mind for us, something infinitely more wonderful, and often those blessing are to be given only in the rainy, stormy moments of our lives.  If I had gotten my bright morning sun, there would have been no rainbow. 

 Rain is necessary for any rainbow - and so is a ray of light.  When life is stormy and rainy, we don't need clear skies, but merely a ray of light, to have a miracle.  

I thought how wonderful it was that I didn't see the rainbow while looking for the immediate sunrise, but only when I turned away from the sun and looked at the temple.  What powerful symbolism!  When we keep our eyes on the horizon, looking for the answers to our prayers in the here and now, we may miss the really best blessings that the Lord is sending us.  We might even get bitter that the sun is not rising as fast as we think it should, and that there are still too many clouds in the way when it does come.  But when we stop watching and waiting for the immediate sunrise, and instead look toward the temple, and the eternal perspective that it gives us, that is when we see the blessings - the rainbows in the rain.  

Some blessing require the perspective of the temple to be seen for what they really are.  The primary song says "I like to look for rainbows, when ever there is rain..."  Well, I have been reminded that when life gives us rain, we can look for rainbows in the temple.

And it Came to Pass...

And it came to pass that the Bermuda Dunes Ward did gather together in the land of Zarahemla to celebrate the long awaited birth of our Savior, yea, even that same birth foretold by Samuel the Lamanite, and the prophets of old.

2  And they did feast much and celebrated the sign of the birth of the Lord.

3  And behold, the hearts of the children did turn to their grandfathers.

4  And the lame did come to the Temple in Zarahemla, with faith that he would be healed, or at least get pushed around by his friend Spenceroni, and get to play in the game booths.

5  Behold, the wealthy Nephites did also come to Zarahemla, with their gold, and their silver...

6  And the prideful women arrayed in their silk and fine-twined linen, their mufflers and their crisping pins.

7  And there were Whitlockites, and VanBuskirkites, yea, and all matter of -ites, and they did come to celebrate together.

8  And the merchants did come to sell their wares, their dream catchers, and their arrowhead necklaces, and all manner of finery.

9  And behold, while they were there, Gadianton's robbers came and with secret combinations tried to overturn the government, and through bloodshed gain an arrowhead necklace.

10  Behold, the fair young maidens did paint the faces of the children...

11  For all had joy and rejoicing therein. 

General Conference - Saturday PM

The Saturday afternoon session, held just us much power and wealth of knowledge for me.  I love Elder Werthlin.  He is so sweet and this time he was really funny.  His talk was about something his mom told him when he was disappointed at the loss of a football game when his was young.  She said "Come what may...and love it"  We need to learn to  be happy and even laugh at whatever life throws at us.  Again, with the world in the state it is in, we are all going to be facing a few curveballs sooner or later.  He told the funniest story about his daughter who thought she was being picked up for her blind date, but the guy she got in the car with wasn't her date, but a dad coming to pick up her sister to babysit.  Pretty funny.  But his message was right on the mark.

I love elder Holland!  I loved his talk on angels.  What a powerful idea, that there are Angels all around us helping us perform God's work and watching over us.  Some angels are the people we see everyday, people that we love that are given the errand of angels in this life.  I am so grateful for the angels in my life.

Elder Casse talked about seeking knowledge.

Favorite Talk of this session: from Elder Coatbridge.  I had to listen to this one several times.  It was about the Savior and his Atonement.  He used clear and powerful repetition of "He is..." and "He said..."  followed by lists of his titles and his teachings.  He taught that life is hard, but it is also very simple - we just have to follow the Savior.  I loved what he said about how we really are all capable of receiving exaltation - because of the Savior.  Even the simplest or otherwise incapable soul is fully capable of exaltation, because unlike everything else, success is not dependant on out abilities, but only on the ability of Christ, who is all-able.  All we have to do is never give up - don't quit, and the Lord will make up the rest.  There is only one way to happiness, and that is Jesus Christ.  All else is madness.  I loved this talk for the powerful message of what it is all about - Jesus Christ and the power of his infinite atonement.  For the message that we all have the distinct possibility of attaining salvation, because of His infinite gift.  All we have to do is hang on.  He will do the rest.

Elder Christofferson gave a great talk on Zion and what it means to be a Zion people.  We are the saints of Zion, but clearly we can do so much more to be the people of Zion that the Lord requires.

Finally, Elder Bednar's talk on prayer was really good - what it means exactly to "pray always" because our prayers are a narrative that are all connected.  I loved the story of being asked by a general authority to say a prayer only of thanksgiving, on a day when they had just learned of the death of a dear friend.  I tried this challenge a few times this week, and it is a lot harder than you would think to only say things you are grateful far.  I found it too hard because I know so many people who need my prayers right now, and it is too hard to not ask for blessings for them. I have to listen to that one a third time, I think.

General Conference - Saturday AM

Last weekend was general conference, and I know I am a bit late with this post, but I wanted to re-watch all the talks again before commenting on them.  They are all so good and so in-depth that I can get more out of them each time I watch/read them.  I am sure I will continue to find enlightenment see the pertinence as I review their messages again.  Since there is just so much to digest, this post is only about the Saturday morning session.

Alysa and I got home from 'saleing' just as the MoTab started singing.  Traditionally, garage sales are always good on conference Saturday.  This week was no exception.  But it was worth leaving all those great sales to get home in time, because the talks that were given, and the beautiful music proved to be exactly what I needed to hear, and what the church, and the world needed to hear for that matter.

President Monson started out by talking about temples and when he announced that Rome, Italy was getting a temple I thought that was very exciting (I am such an Italiophile!)  I thought of how wonderful that will be for the saints there.  I hope it is right across the street from the Vatican.  (When we went to Italy we saw water fountains flowing freely everywhere - except at the Vatican.  All fountains near St. Peters were broken or barely trickled.  The further away you got from the cathedral, the better the flow from the fountains.  You know, "fount of  living waters."  Just saying.  I bet our new temple will have abundantly flowing fountains.)  I asked Dennis if we could attend that dedication, but got no answer.  

Elder Perry's talk on living a simplified life was so good, and had many points I need to share with my YW- points on the word of wisdom, modesty, debt, and storing up spiritual fuel.  This talk is just so important for our day, and proof to me that the Lord speaks through our prophets the council that we need today.  There was so much of that in this conference.  

Sis. Allred's talk on missionary work was so good too.  This is something I definitely need to work on!  I loved the quote from Pres. Hinkley that "When we save a girl, we save generations."  How true is that.  That really made the weight on my calling seem that much heaver, but it is right on.  The work that we do with those girls has untold consequences or blessing for countless people.

Elder Anderson spoke about spiritual storage now for moments of difficulty.  I have an idea that a lot of us are going to be facing times of difficulty real soon, if not already, and our testimonies might be the only thing we may have to get us through.  Oil for our lamps.

I loved Elder Aidiakaitus's talk about how his father joined the church, and the Book of Mormon.  He said that when we have a Book of Mormon, and don't read it we are like a child that receives a letter from his beloved and distant father, and doesn't even bother to open the envelope.  Or like a spoiled child who refuses to even take a bite of the lovely meal that was carefully prepared for his by his mother.  I really don't want to act like a spoiled child.  The Book of Mormon really is a personal letter sent just to us from our Father in Heaven.  As the world changes, I am amazed how the Book of Mormon addresses our needs more and more precisely.  I have never said "wow, that describes our world right now" as much of I have said it this last year.  Its all in there.

Elder Oaks' talk on sacrament meeting was great.  I kept asking my kids "Are you listening to this?", especially the stuff about the Aaronic Priesthood and the sacrament.

Favorite Talk: President Uchtdorf talking about the principle of hope.  We always hear so much of faith and charity, and not so much about hope.  But hope is the third leg on the three legged stool of the gospel.  Hope is critical to both faith and charity.  Hope is a simple trust in the  Lord's promises, that all things really will work together for our good.  It is manifest in our patience in optimism and patient perseverance.  He talked about things we hope for and things we hope in. He teaches that the things we hope for are future blessings, like eternal life.  Things we hope for lead us to faith.  Then there the things we hope in - the blessings the Lord that are more immediate.  The things we hope in lead us to charity.  Hope fulfilled leads to greater hope, and when we put hope into action, through good works, then our present circumstances give way to future blessings.  It was all pretty deep, and I will have to hear it several more times before I really get it.  Because of hope, we have a reason to rejoice when all seems dark.  Talk about pertinent to our day.  There are so many dark things looming on the horizon including the failing economy, that these are exactly the words we need to hear.  That there is hope, and that hope is Christ - the light in the darkness.  We have reason to REJOICE!  I have been in a funk all week and I have to keep listening to Pres. Uchtdorf's talk each time I feel that way.  With the way things are going, I'll have that talk committed to memory in no time.  Please read it if you haven't, and then read it again.

New Calling

 

Yep, its official.  I am the new Young Women's president in the Bermuda Dunes Ward.  Shocker, I know!  The bishop told me that he went to the temple with the short list of names for this calling, and my name wasn't on it.  But while he was there, my name came so strongly to him that he knew it was supposed to ME.  Maybe it is just a line he gives to everyone that he saddles with a big calling, but it worked, because although my head was shouting out one good reason after another why I couldn't do this job ("you are TOO busy, woman!"), the only response I could really give to was a quiet "OK". 

 That was last Sunday, so it has been a stressful week for me, (triggering the insomniatic rambling of the "My Document Stack" post last week.)  I spent the week fasting, praying, and attending the temple, trying to come up with names for callings, tying up loose ends for my old calling as second counselor in the RS presidency, getting reoriented with the YW program, and getting filled in with EVERYTHING there is to know about my new calling, all while trying to keep it all a secret and continue with the duties of everyday life and the scheduling whoas of the first week of school. Overwhelming is and understatement.

All week little thoughts have been flitting through my head, pros and cons, about my new calling.  I'm glad I had to keep this a secret all week, because if I would have written this last Sunday, my cons might have outweighed my pros.  But a week's time has given me perspective, and I am confident the pros will win out.  Lets make a list of "+"s and "-"s, shall we?

Leaving Relief Society -

Attending YW +

Not working with Denice, Myra, and Maria anymore - -

Getting to work closely with Dayna, Kathy, Shannon, and other YW leaders ++

Not seeing all the dear relief society sisters each week -

Really getting to know all the great YW leaders better, and building closer friendships with them ++

Getting to know and build friendships with the girls too  ++

Having to compete with two of my dearest friends, Alysa and Denice, for sisters to fill callings -

Having to fill callings -

Getting to know the sisters I will get to fill those callings +

Being the boss - - 

A great, hard-working  and helpful board ++

Girl time +++

Planning, planning, planning  YW activities -

Not having to plan any more enrichment activities +

Getting to attend enrichment activities without having to be in charge of anything +

Not feeling guilty when I have to sneak out of enrichment to go the taekwando class +

Being in charge of everything in YW- -

The bagful of RS counselor stuff I get to hand off to the sister who will replace me +

The carload of YW stuff Staci happily handed off to me - -

The fact that everything Staci gave me was so organized +

Having to keep it organized -

More girl time +++

Less time with my boys -

Less time with my boys +

Bearing the heavy weight of being ultimately responsible for those sweet girls -

Those sweet girls +++

Sisters to help me carry that responsibility ++

More craziness added to my family life -

A loving supportive husband +++

Fewer Tuesday and Thursday nights +

Every Wednesday, Sunday, and lots of Saturdays - -

Chaperoning dances -

Girls camp +++

Being with Alex, and soon Nate, at combined activities ++

Driving -

A big suburban+

More excuses to stamp+

Less time to stamp -

8am ward council meetings -

Not having to get white shirts and ties on six little boys once a month+

Did I mention girl time? +++

Helping the girls to grow +

The girls helping me to grow +++

Wow, I think I counted exactly twice as many pluses  as negatives!  I'm started to get excited about this.  Try not to be jealous of my calling, OK?  Remember, 'Thou shalt not covet."  

Hey, what do you mean by "no danger of that!" ?