Well...the time has come. Tomorrow is our last day at the Boston Temple. We have had so many "lasts" lately, but tomorrow they are having cake to 'celebrate' our leaving. Everyone has been so kind to us. We have been truly blessed to be here & have so many friends. We're trying to hold our emotions in check but I can't guarantee that we won't fall apart as we leave tomorrow.
We were given a framed picture of the Temple with a poem & I would like to share it with you.
"If" by Carma Salvesen.
If I could go to Galilee
And walk where Jesus walked,
And sit in tender grasses
On the hillside where he taught.
If I could sit and ponder
On a rock that knew His hand,
Or walk along the seashore
Where His feet had touched the sand.
My spirit yearns within me,
But it doesn't seem my fate,
I'll never walk where Jesus walked.
I'll never see........but wait.
I worship in His temple
Where I know He's walked before.
Have His feet been down this hallway?
Have His fingers touched this door?
Has He stood here in this very room
And looked at what I see?
In the beauty of His temple
I can feel His love for me.
I close my eyes & picture Him,
My worries melt away.
I don't need to go to Galilee
Or travel far away.
For my tender heart is filled
With what He wants me to be taught
And my testimony burns within--
I've walked where Jesus walked!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Good-Byes
We can't believe that our mission is coming to an end!
We have been so busy getting the car ready, cleaning, packing & having dinner appointments for the past 2 weeks. Wow! It feels like we're on a merry-go-round that keeps going faster & faster.
A couple of months ago I was so homesick I didn't think I could stand it. But we kept trying to work hard & keep focused on what we were supposed to do. Then it was, "This is the last Tuesday night we work so we won't see these ordinance workers anymore."...etc. There have been a lot of "lasts" & it has been so hard.
Someone said that we were so lucky because we get to go home. Yes, we are lucky & excited but it shocked me because our focus hasn't been about going home. Our focus has been about the good-byes & those we are leaving behind.
When we came on our mission we left our family & came to the unknown. Now, we are leaving one family to return to another. It's hard & very emotional!
I found a magnet that says exactly how we feel.
A good friend is hard to find, harder to leave & impossible to forget!
We have loved our mission!
We have been so busy getting the car ready, cleaning, packing & having dinner appointments for the past 2 weeks. Wow! It feels like we're on a merry-go-round that keeps going faster & faster.
A couple of months ago I was so homesick I didn't think I could stand it. But we kept trying to work hard & keep focused on what we were supposed to do. Then it was, "This is the last Tuesday night we work so we won't see these ordinance workers anymore."...etc. There have been a lot of "lasts" & it has been so hard.
Someone said that we were so lucky because we get to go home. Yes, we are lucky & excited but it shocked me because our focus hasn't been about going home. Our focus has been about the good-byes & those we are leaving behind.
When we came on our mission we left our family & came to the unknown. Now, we are leaving one family to return to another. It's hard & very emotional!
I found a magnet that says exactly how we feel.
A good friend is hard to find, harder to leave & impossible to forget!
We have loved our mission!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
"The Dash"
We've been speaking in a few wards lately. We've gone to Warwick Ward & the Singles Ward in Rhode Island; Derry, New Hampshire, & Georgetown, Massachusetts. I tell the story of "The Dash", that we were given from the organ donation people after Nathan passed away. Every time, I am asked if I have a copy & would share it. I decided that I would share it on our blog because it fits our mission.
"I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth & spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth & now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars...the house...the cash... What matters is how we live & love...& how we spend our dash.
So think about this long & hard; Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true & real...& always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger & show appreciation more & love the people in our lives...like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect & more often wear a smile...remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read...with your life's actions to rehash...would you be proud of the things they say...about how you spent your dash?"
We hope & pray that our "dash" here in the Boston Temple has made a little difference.
"I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth & spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth & now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars...the house...the cash... What matters is how we live & love...& how we spend our dash.
So think about this long & hard; Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true & real...& always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger & show appreciation more & love the people in our lives...like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect & more often wear a smile...remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read...with your life's actions to rehash...would you be proud of the things they say...about how you spent your dash?"
We hope & pray that our "dash" here in the Boston Temple has made a little difference.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Loving New England
It's September already!!! I can't believe it. We have been so busy this summer trying to fit in all of the sightseeing that we didn't do last year because it was so miserably hot & humid. We are in such a great historical place. I'm not sure we could see everything even if we tried. Every time we turn around we hear of someplace else that we should go visit.
I'll start by sharing what we did during shut down. Of course we went to Virginia & surprised Dad at church on Father's Day. I'm not sure we have ever spent Father's Day with him so it was wonderful. We enjoyed being with Laurie, Shawn & Tanya's families & especially loved seeing Mom again.
We decided that we would go to New York City because we were scared & would never make the trip just to go there. Our good friends from the Temple met us there & if it hadn't been for them I'm not sure we would have braved the subway. That in itself was an experience & then coming up from underground & looking up & seeing the Angel Moroni was awe inspiring. A friend told us not to walk around with our cameras & looking up because then people would know we were tourists. Oh well, we blew that advice. You just had to look up! Everything was so tall. Another friend told us we had to have a hot dog from one of the carts on the street because that was a New York experience. I fully intended on doing that but the smell of BO from the subway combined with the smell of hot dogs was not appetizing at all, so I passed.
We went to the Broadway show, "Phantom of the Opera" (which was amazing), on another day & did so much walking. The blocks are a normal length one way but if you go the other way they are very long. Add that to not knowing where you're at & how to find where you want to go & it is very hot & I could just feel myself melting. Another thing that was amazing was the cars & the masses of people crossing the intersections. I saw so many near misses. I'm surprised we didn't see anyone hit or at least an accident of some kind.
We spent one day going to Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty. What an awe inspiring & spiritual experience. We felt even more grateful for our ancestors.
We found a Branch in New Jersey & they asked us to speak. It was fun to visit. The church is true wherever we go & we can always find friends. That's an amazing thing about the gospel.
Our friends that met us in New York invited us to their time share in the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania so we stayed there for a couple of days & had a great time. It was especially nice after being in NYC. Nothing against the big city but my country brain feels more at home with peace & quiet.
Actually, when we came back to Boston our subway wasn't nearly so frightening as it had been a year ago. We have been to a couple of Red Sox games which was so fun to be in Fenway Park & see the green "monstah".
I had been feeling so homesick about a month ago. Then Angie came to spend 5 days with us & it was so wonderful to have her here. We had a lobster roll when she got off the plane & took her to see the Temple all lit up. On Saturday we went to Woodstock, Quechee Gorge & Rutland, Vermont, where we spoke. On our way home we went to the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, Vermont. We love it there. There is such a spiritual feeling & a feeling of reverence for the Prophet. They also had an exhibit of the Hubble Space Telescope images. It was one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen. We've heard of "world's without number", but this exhibit really made it real for me.
Monday we went to the Old North Church in Boston where Paul Revere watched for the lantern signal from the steeple; went to Mike's Pastry (famous) where we had to have a couple of cannoli's; went to Quincy Market & rode on the duck boats. Tuesday we took her to Lexington Green where the Revolutionary War started; the old North Bridge in Concord; we went to Rockport to do some fun shopping & see where the movie, "The Proposal" was filmed & then went to Gloucester for a lobster dinner. Wednesday we went to Plymouth & saw the Mayflower II; Plymouth rock; John Alden's home & the gravesites of John Alden, Priscilla Mullins & Myles Standish. Then we did a little more shopping & took her to the airport. It almost wasn't hard to say good-bye to her because we did so much & had such a good time.
We've gone to Longfellows home which is now an inn; Louisa May Alcott's home; the schoolhouse of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (yes, she was real); lighthouses, beaches & I'm sure I'm forgetting places we've been.
It sounds like we're on a sightseeing mission doesn't it! Well, we are loving it here & are trying to make the most of it on our time off. We went to the Temple Tuesday & there was a check from the Missionary Dept. to pay for our expenses home. What a shock! We knew our time was growing short but we were trying not to think too much about it. Whenever I think about going home I get so excited! But - we want to stay focused & do the best job that we can at the Temple. We are still having some amazing spiritual experiences & are loving our mission.
We send our love.
I'll start by sharing what we did during shut down. Of course we went to Virginia & surprised Dad at church on Father's Day. I'm not sure we have ever spent Father's Day with him so it was wonderful. We enjoyed being with Laurie, Shawn & Tanya's families & especially loved seeing Mom again.
We decided that we would go to New York City because we were scared & would never make the trip just to go there. Our good friends from the Temple met us there & if it hadn't been for them I'm not sure we would have braved the subway. That in itself was an experience & then coming up from underground & looking up & seeing the Angel Moroni was awe inspiring. A friend told us not to walk around with our cameras & looking up because then people would know we were tourists. Oh well, we blew that advice. You just had to look up! Everything was so tall. Another friend told us we had to have a hot dog from one of the carts on the street because that was a New York experience. I fully intended on doing that but the smell of BO from the subway combined with the smell of hot dogs was not appetizing at all, so I passed.
We went to the Broadway show, "Phantom of the Opera" (which was amazing), on another day & did so much walking. The blocks are a normal length one way but if you go the other way they are very long. Add that to not knowing where you're at & how to find where you want to go & it is very hot & I could just feel myself melting. Another thing that was amazing was the cars & the masses of people crossing the intersections. I saw so many near misses. I'm surprised we didn't see anyone hit or at least an accident of some kind.
We spent one day going to Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty. What an awe inspiring & spiritual experience. We felt even more grateful for our ancestors.
We found a Branch in New Jersey & they asked us to speak. It was fun to visit. The church is true wherever we go & we can always find friends. That's an amazing thing about the gospel.
Our friends that met us in New York invited us to their time share in the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania so we stayed there for a couple of days & had a great time. It was especially nice after being in NYC. Nothing against the big city but my country brain feels more at home with peace & quiet.
Actually, when we came back to Boston our subway wasn't nearly so frightening as it had been a year ago. We have been to a couple of Red Sox games which was so fun to be in Fenway Park & see the green "monstah".
I had been feeling so homesick about a month ago. Then Angie came to spend 5 days with us & it was so wonderful to have her here. We had a lobster roll when she got off the plane & took her to see the Temple all lit up. On Saturday we went to Woodstock, Quechee Gorge & Rutland, Vermont, where we spoke. On our way home we went to the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, Vermont. We love it there. There is such a spiritual feeling & a feeling of reverence for the Prophet. They also had an exhibit of the Hubble Space Telescope images. It was one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen. We've heard of "world's without number", but this exhibit really made it real for me.
Monday we went to the Old North Church in Boston where Paul Revere watched for the lantern signal from the steeple; went to Mike's Pastry (famous) where we had to have a couple of cannoli's; went to Quincy Market & rode on the duck boats. Tuesday we took her to Lexington Green where the Revolutionary War started; the old North Bridge in Concord; we went to Rockport to do some fun shopping & see where the movie, "The Proposal" was filmed & then went to Gloucester for a lobster dinner. Wednesday we went to Plymouth & saw the Mayflower II; Plymouth rock; John Alden's home & the gravesites of John Alden, Priscilla Mullins & Myles Standish. Then we did a little more shopping & took her to the airport. It almost wasn't hard to say good-bye to her because we did so much & had such a good time.
We've gone to Longfellows home which is now an inn; Louisa May Alcott's home; the schoolhouse of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (yes, she was real); lighthouses, beaches & I'm sure I'm forgetting places we've been.
It sounds like we're on a sightseeing mission doesn't it! Well, we are loving it here & are trying to make the most of it on our time off. We went to the Temple Tuesday & there was a check from the Missionary Dept. to pay for our expenses home. What a shock! We knew our time was growing short but we were trying not to think too much about it. Whenever I think about going home I get so excited! But - we want to stay focused & do the best job that we can at the Temple. We are still having some amazing spiritual experiences & are loving our mission.
We send our love.
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