My Trip to Utah

All went well on Friday morning and I made it to Utah just fine.  We landed in the middle of a wild little snow squall that reduced visibility to a couple hundred feet and completely surprised the pilot and crew-that was exciting.  My son Sam picked me up at the airport and we began our wonderful day together.

The purpose of the trip, as I said before, was to be with him as he went through an important step of faith for members of my church. He went to the temple to make covenants that pertain to how he will choose to live the rest of his life.  We believe that by living a certain way, we invite God into our lives every day and are happier, are able to cope with the normal ups and downs of life with perspective and hope, and are able to have a firm purpose to guide all of our decisions.

All are invited to someday enter the temple, but there are requirements for entrance. What happens in the temple is considered sacred, so we don't discuss it except in the most general of terms. This is not meant to exclude but instead to protect and keep the specialness of what happens. There is power in honoring sacred things and not allowing them to become common.

It's a wonderful thing for a parent to see a child want to make what I, of course, consider to be a wise and happiness-inducing decision and I'm glad I could be here. My parents came up from Tucson and my older son and daughter-in-law were with us as well, so it was a memorable family occasion.  Sam seemed well-prepared to absorb and begin thinking about what it means to be a mature participant in his chosen religion and had lots of good questions. I hope you can see the happiness on his face.

Saturday, I spent the morning with my folks before they drove home (it was so incredibly good to see them) and then a couple of hours with Sam while Jeff and Ashlyn had college-y stuff to do. In the afternoon I got to see my friend Cami in her beautiful new home. She used to live near me and I miss her being around. Fortunately I read her blog regularly and so we were able to while away the afternoon talking easily for several hours. That was a treat. I so appreciate her perspective on things and love hearing about all the great things she's doing.

Today we'll go to church together then eat the roast that is already smelling amazing as it cooks in the crockpot, then hopefully spend the evening playing some games or taking a drive.

Most importantly, I've had some mental time to rest and regroup. I was really worried about taking this trip in the middle of everything that's been going on, but it turns out it was just what I needed.

Snow in Spring

Sam in the snow on campus

J-Dawgs for lunch- a local favorite. 

Sam before.

And after. 

Me and Sam after his session

Jeff, Sam and Me

The Brothers

Sam

All of us in front of the temple

Under the arches at the temple