On March 2nd, 2023, I was with my parents as the oncologist delivered the heartbreaking news: Stage 4, Angiosarcoma. We had 3 months left with our mom. Nothing can prepare you for this kind of news. But my mom, in her wisdom, knew exactly how we could process it. She asked me to take my dad to the Temple that night.
When I was in the Temple, I felt a powerful impression from the Holy Ghost that gave me the comfort I knew my family needed, “When you want to be close to your mom, go to the temple.” I shared this message from heaven with my dad as we reflected in the Celestial room. This promise gave us the peace and strength we needed to face the days and years ahead.
We knew our time left with Mom was limited, but we were given the blessing of time to gather all the family together before she passed. We contacted all my siblings and immediately made plans to gather our entire family for spring break just a few weeks later. This was no small task as we are spread out among five different states. But miraculously, we were all available the same week, and plans were made.
My parents had finished building their beautiful home just a year and a half earlier, directly across the street from the Pocatello Idaho Temple. My mom’s dream for building her home right next to the Temple was that her grandchildren would be able to perform baptisms and other ordinances there. We wanted to make that dream come true for her.
When we gathered everyone together, we took all the grandchildren who were old enough to participate in Temple baptisms. She was able to witness this sweet gathering of her grandchildren in the Temple. A temple volunteer reminded us that we know our spirits live on after we pass away. This was a touching moment for those grandchildren to realize the truth that we are more than just physical bodies on the planet, and when Grandma’s body was done in this life, her spirit would continue to live on.
Even more miraculous than all my siblings being able to gather together was that my mom acted on a prompting years earlier to build her home across the street from the Temple. That decision didn’t make sense at the time. My parents were approaching the retirement stage of life and they already had a beautiful home. But my mom could not shake the spiritual prompting to build a new home right next to the Temple. My dad and I have commented so many times how grateful we are that she acted on that prompting. Instead of being filled with anguish and sorrow during her final days and since her passing, we could look out the window of their home and see a physical representation of God’s love for us right there. The Temple stands as a reminder of the sacred covenants we have made that bind us for eternity. Seeing the Temple let us feel the peace and comfort of knowing a loving Father in Heaven and Savior were with us through this journey.
Since my mom’s passing, attending the Temple has become an even more sacred experience for me. I truly feel God’s love for me and can feel my mom close. Just recently, my oldest daughter expressed her desire to receive her endowment. Even though we live in Texas, she asked if she could receive her endowment in “Grandma’s Temple.” She said she had that desire the first time she walked out the door of my parent’s home and saw the Temple right across the street—exactly why my mom wanted her home right next to the Temple. Of course, we moved mountains to make that happen!
Words cannot describe how tender this occasion was. The Temple President and Matron knew my mom personally, as she had served in the Temple weekly prior to her cancer diagnosis. They shared with us their testimony of the importance of the work that goes on inside the Temple in uniting families for time and all eternity and bringing individuals closer to Jesus Christ. This sacred experience brought me so much joy. Just a few days earlier, we had visited the cemetery where we had laid my mom to rest a year earlier. I was surprised at how much it hurt to be at her gravesite. In stark contrast, I felt my pain and sorrow swallowed up when we were in the Temple.
I’m grateful for the Temple and the power and strength it gives us by learning more about our Savior, Jesus Christ! I have learned to trust more fully in Him and to recognize His hand in my daily life. I know that because of His atonement and resurrection, we will see my mom again someday. Whenever we see the temple across the street from my mom's house, are reminded of this sacred promise.
We are so blessed to have the opportunity to build a new Temple in our local area so that we can continue strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ and bring the joy of uniting families for eternity for all who enter there. When we see it, we will be reminded of our Savior and the hope He brings, just like when we see "Grandma's Temple" across the street from her home.
Seeing truly is believing!
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