BINGO!
Our family history day was surprisingly successful!
A wonder and marvel! I actually was pinching myself that my husband would go along with it, as it was snowing, and we had had the children over two other times in the last few days. But as he did not say no, I just took the reins and rode as far and as long as seemed workable for the attention span of four children 10 and under.
With that positive
momentum, he asked if we could plan a walk around the temple. Because there was another vacation day (I
forgot to ask my husband about this...to let him know that the two youngest children requested more time with Grandpa and Grandma on Tuesday) I consider it a small
miracle that all systems said "go"--I put my skirt on, helped shovel
the walk--to meet the steady snow that fell most of the
day.
I washed dishes. Exercised...then we drove to Grammy's to trade cars, finding children standing in their driveway, best dress, journals, scriptures AND umbrellas in hand--ready, get set, go!
Our electronic music didn't work, so we sang Primary songs all the way up.
B (age 5) claims to not know Primary songs. W recently declared it has been a LONG time since he has read from the Book of Mormon. I take it personally. I am not responsible for anyone else's choices, but I am responsible to invite. On the way, I asked them to journal why they hope to go inside the temple someday. They sang. This is good. I learned later that it is hard to sing and write. Music won!
My husband thought Bountiful was a better choice to help them be
familiar with their own temple. But the snowy Bountiful hill is steep, and we were out of pinto
beans. Our favorite grain store is in Ogden with pinto beans and brown lentils
(Starkey staples) so Ogden became our destination.
My husband was sure the temple gates would be closed. But they were open! No one was really there, except grounds crews cleaning the sidewalks and parking lots.
Each of the children sauntered umbrellas in hand past the Native American mosaic artwork that frames the tabernacle doors and found the waterfalls in front of the temple. A question from Come Follow Me was to look for something that reminds us how to be like Jesus . K suggested "I spy with my little eye." We found a tree that reaches and points up.
A bubbling front waterfall came next. Living water.
K, going on seven, could not keep himself from touching the water. "It is not bad!"
Grandpa asked, "Would you take a bath in it?"
I did not hear K's answer to that, but cannot imagine it being "Yes!"
We walked to the walls.
Everyone touched. I got pictures. No pictures of me. I don't care about that.
Someone noticed Angel
Moroni on top of the temple. He is gold. And facing east. I noticed the leaf inlay on the steeple that points up. Golden
plates. Golden leaves.
K. wanted to walk the
high wall, which made me a little nervous. "Can you jump down?"
That actually made me more
nervous for him to jump five feet with an umbrella. But, adept and
confident, he held his umbrella and dropped, rather that
jump. (Grandma, WHY do you worry??!!)
Then we walked to the west entrance, to see winter pansies where the still water flows.
W, a few blocks before the temple, noticed that the gas meter was nearly empty. I wonder who taught a 10-year-old to notice that gas gauge? He must be the eldest child. Again, I asked my husband if he cared where we stopped for gas, and though he usually has very strong opinions about such, it was not his car. He did not counter my choice to go to Costco, where I let myself out and ran like crazy. I went to the produce aisle, found pineapple (no large carrots) but toilet paper (no limit! I gathered two!) oil, salsa, chia seeds (no quinoa--what I had told him I would get) ...peanuts, peanut butter...all packed together as quick and fast as a fifteen-minute dash with four children in the car with a tired, hungry grandpa would give me. Two hundred thirty dollars. The lady at the door took three minutes counting every item.
Later, I told Kristen I bought Costco. I think Val agreed. We could hardly fit everything into the trunk. I had to shut it twice. But it was remarkable, and done! And the only thing missed was carrots and quinoa.
We followed the prophet and made time for the temple. And God gave us an empty gas tank so we could fill the pantry. All in two hours (one hour driving time.) A marvelous work--and a wonder!
On the way home, we passed the train station, near where Val's father's father fixed train engines.
Lunch was sandwiches and 2 Nephi 2 (verses 2 through 6?) Each of the children gets a verse and picks
a favorite word which we talk about. 
After cleaning up...it was game time...but I am crabby grandma, and I just read in this week’s Come Follow Me that the Lord doesn't let his words go void (he follows through, see Isaiah 55:10, 11...very good verses!)
Our ping pong and
table hockey game time was dependent upon each child showing me what they had
written in their journals (nothing.) So, each was invited to
sit down and write.
(meaning "warm inside")
Eight year old S. wrote: "At the temple I walked all around it. I thought that the markings on the door were pretty. I was cold from the snow, but I was warm inside"
B. is five and knows how to write her name. Val helped her write what she wanted to say:
"2/12/21 I felt happy at the Ogden temple today." to accompany her illustration of a tree.
W (10), from the day before:
“When I went to the temple,
I walked on the sidewalk around it, and I felt pretty normal. I was doing
it for cub scouts, so that was kind of fun. I’m pretty sure I got a belt
loop for it. I want to go because it is pretty, and big. I also
want to know more about it, and more about what it is like to be in the House
of God.
“I want to be married in
the temple because then I will never be separated from my family and I’ll be
with them for eternity. “Hello: (Day after this was
written) 2/16/21 We walked around the temple
today and we got to touch its walls. I saw two fountains that were pretty
cool. I felt happy while I was there."
Of course, after this came table hockey, then competitive ping pong where W won 24 to 22!
(Yay Grandpa--for finding, fixing a free table!)
We learned in a phone call to Great Grandma about Great Great Grandpa Alva, moustache below, who worked at the train station. He had a garden where he grafted different types of apples onto one tree, grew grapes, and had his boys help him dig a well one bucketful at a time.
All this in a few-minute phone call with a great grandma who once helped us dig out our own window well when she was over age 70. Hoorah for digging! Hoorah, for deep roots.
One more tidbit. I have looked at a picture on my wall for many years. My mother, Shirley, is pictured, under two years of age, shortly after her own mother died. Here, she is found sitting with her brother and sister on what I want to say is her father's model T Ford.
The picture of Shirley (far left) looks much like many of her grandchildren (and great) when they were little--compare this photograph to B, age five, above. Do you see a similarity? The thing I never noticed is what they are eating. Can you see it? Do you ever wonder why you enjoy the foods you do? Is it a family tradition to like toast?
S. and W. both tried their hands for twenty minutes of indexing Michigan birth records--watching our grade school friends type is inspiring! We also got to learn from Great Grandma S. about her mother sitting on a pig (ask someone about a picture!) Someone dared her. What is a dare? What if I dare you to find out one thing about someone you know in your family? I dare you to listen to a few activities that will keep your children awake, and consider checking out Roots Tech 2021 which is free online this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
We are hoping for you to have love within the walls of your sacred spaces...walls of your home, family, and connections. Happy Valentine month! Happy Birthday, Amber!
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