I Love the Temple

My whole life I have looked to and loved the temple. I love to visit and serve within its walls. As you know, everyone inside the temple wears white, and so each time I go to the temple, I carry a bag which contains my white clothing. For years my temple dress has been crammed inside a small carry on bag. As a result it has been somewhat rumpled (even though the fabric resists wrinkles pretty good). About a year ago I determined that I would sew a bag that will hang in my closet so that my dress is always hanging, and I don't have to remember to hang it when I get home. So I bought the fabric, sketched a plan and this month I finally found the time to sew it up! Here is my sketch. 

Well, that wasn't much of a pattern so I did a little research and came up with this one:

And, this is my finished bag, all loaded up and ready for a trip to the temple! It took me about 4 hours to finish it, and a lot of tweaks to get it the way I wanted it, but it works great!

I love the temple. I can't visit there too often. I love the beauty and majesty of the building, but more than that I love the peace and tranquility that fills its rooms. I love to bring those feelings home with me. Attending the temple of the Lord helps me pattern my home after the temple as well. It is wonderful to be able to walk into my home and feel reflected there, the same feelings I feel at the temple. I love the peace, contentment and tranquility that abide in the heart and home with the help of the Lord's choicest blessings.

I am so grateful for temple blessings in my life. The knowledge that families are meant to last forever - even beyond our time on earth, of course the things we do here will determine what our families look like there. But those bonds will always be present, family is family and those ties will exist forever. I am so thankful for my children and husband, they are my joy and my song. I am also thankful for the family I grew up in. I had a lot of good times growing up, and I am so blessed with good parents who did their very best to raise me and my siblings well. Of all the joys in life, I think family is the one I always feel the most grateful for.