The temple is a House of God, a place of love and beauty...

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

Front view of the Nauvoo, IL, Temple.

Nauvoo, IL, Temple

These pictures were taken by Natalia at age 12 when she was in Nauvoo for my cousin's wedding.  She went there with her Grammy, aunts and cousins.

I have a special place in my heart for the Nauvoo temple; my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents lived adjacent to the temple. That Grandmother Nancy Naomi Alexander Tracy was present when the cornerstone was laid, and later had to leave behind the temple and her children who had died while they were living in Nauvoo when they were forced to leave and move West.  I know she took great solace in knowing they had an eternal family and that she would see those children again someday.

My sister Monie and her husband Kyle live in Nauvoo and she and my other sister Tara were both married there.  My sister Emily and her family were recently sealed to their adopted son in the Nauvoo temple.

 

This is the St. Louis temple.  Our family was sealed here in 2010.  It was a wonderful and amazing experience that I thought might never happen.  But it did.

Here are Joe's (the birthday boy!) thoughts about that day:

My brothers and sister and I went to the childrens rooms and played with some toys.  We changed into our white temple clothes  We had a snack and watched a movie about temples.  I explored the hallway, and then we went to the sealing room and met our parents.  There were a lot of people from church and my grammy and grandpa were there, too.  We were sealed as a forever family.  It was very special.

We went back to the childrens rooms to change into our church clothes.  We met a family with 24 kids.  One of the sisters was getting married that day.  They had so many people in their family that they drove a bus instead of a car.  I'm happy that my family can be forever.

There are no words to describe what a special day it was, and I am grateful to my Heavenly Father to have my family gathered close around me for time and all eternity.

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