Family Night

We get to have Sister Russell in our home about once a month for our Monday night "family home evening."

As I was preparing for Alina's sealing, I had a tremendous desire to do lots of things that pointed my family to the temple. This is one of the few activities that played out in my grand plan--we built temples out of sugar cubes for family night. We also talked about the sealing experience when David was a baby, and we drove past the temple to look at it from the outside. 

I wanted so badly to feel prepared for the special day. While it turned out to be a very special experience, when the day arrived I felt that I had not "pointed" my family to the temple as I wanted.

But since our day at the temple, I realized that the Lord, in his mercy, takes what we offer to Him and multiplies it. Since our sealing day, I have felt the strength of the promises we made within those holy walls. I didn't do all that I had planned, or desired to do . . . but the Lord accepted my offering as "enough" and continues to multiply it in our family's life.

Our Temple Sealing

Please pardon the hiatus in my blogging. Our computer is on its last leg, and I haven't been able to access the photos I would like to publish on my blog. Miracle of miracles, I was able to open some files tonight with the photos from our temple sealing to Alina. I guess if the blog is going to be on the pause button for any length of time, these are the photos and feelings I would love to have as my header. I hope you enjoy hearing about our temple experience as much as we enjoyed having it. It was a truly sublime experience for our family--one that we'll remember forever.

***All Photos in this post were provided by Meggan Catanzaro--thank you for capturing our special day with your talents, Meggan!***

On September 10, 2014 our family was inside the Anchorage, Alaska temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be sealed together for eternity. The sealing of a child to parents is parallel to a marriage. It first takes place according to the laws so it may be recognized legally. It then is performed before the Lord, seeking His blessing upon the family union.

"As we touch the temple and love the temple, our lives will reflect our faith . . . The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.'" ~President Thomas S. Monson, 2010

The temple is significant in the LDS faith as a symbol of worship. It provides for us a refuge from the world, a place to go where we can leave behind our cares and worries, and focus on the things of eternity. On this day, the focus was our family. With authority from heaven, a sealer joined us together with our daughter Alina, and pronounced upon us the promise that we will be united as a family not only in this life, but throughout eternity.

The feelings of the day were similar to stepping back to take in a beautiful landscape. We rose above our day to day struggles and routines, and for just a few moments we tried to get a glimpse of forever. It was like we were on a peak; our vision and perspective all around us were beautiful and clear. Tomorrow we will return to our day to day cares, but today we could see a piece of heaven.

In that perspective, we felt love. The room was full of light. We emanated happiness and hope. Our faith in Jesus Christ was tangible--to see us through our weaknesses and trials, and help us return to live in the presence of God as a family. Because without having each other, would we ever achieve the feeling of arriving in heaven?

It is true that our family has been pasted together. First it was Sam and I, completely unrelated, but we made promises to each other, and before God that we would care for each other and form a family. Then along came David. He didn't make any promises--he was too little at birth. But Sam and I had to swear before a judge that we would care for him, love him, and provide for him. Alina came next and we promised it all over again, that this little girl would be our daughter in every legal sense of the word. Some may look at my family and see four different people with lives pieced together through marriage and adoption. To some, perhaps our family looks like a piece of paper that has been loosely taped, seams flattened, creases smoothed out. All the pieces are there, but the paper still looks pieced together. In our view, our family is made whole through the sealing power of the temple, which takes that piece of paper and makes it perfectly complete, without the slightest crease or flaw.  Our relationships were forged in the temple to be as permanent and lasting as if our children had been born to us. As a family we are made whole, because the atonement of Jesus Christ provides a way for us to be made perfect. Our relationships to each other were perfected in the sealing ordinance. 

When David was sealed to us as a baby, I remember how happy he was. His smile lit up the room.

With Alina's sealing, I will never forget how beautiful and radiant she looked. 

She was truly a sight to behold.

Her hair, her eyes, her dress, her soft smile, her little hand, her sweetness . . . all of it came together for this mother's heart to give me the most beautiful image I've ever seen. Yes, I want to be this little girl's mother for eternity.

Based on the feelings of the day, this arrangement suits our Alina, as well. 

We were blessed to have my parents join us for the temple sealing--they were in town for 25 hours, and we felt so grateful to have them with us. Their presence represented all of the extended family that is tied to Alina through this adoption and sealing. Alina has been loved and welcomed by extensive family on both sides. We all love her so.

 Also in the temple with us that day were: Leon & Marcie Clay, Heidi Clay, Gloria Parrett, Sonya McCants, Lindsay Weston, Shasta Petersen, Meggan Catanzaro, Laird Jenkins, and Rob & Kathy Everett. For being in the middle of the work day, and work week, we felt grateful that so many made an effort to join us on our special day.

David's Part

Generally speaking, children are not allowed to go inside the temple until they are 12 years old. The only exception to this rule is if you have a sibling being sealed to your family.

David anticipated our temple sealing in a way that I could tell he understood its importance. As we prepared to enter the temple together, I heard David include three specific blessings in his personal prayers. He prayed, "Please help me when we go to the temple that I will know what to do. Please help me to have good feelings, and please help me to remember." This was truly from his heart, as these things were not things I prompted him to ask in his prayers--he just knew that this is what he wanted out of his temple experience.

In the temple, David was particularly mature. He seemed to reverently take everything in. He quietly looked around, and I could see that he was relishing his moments inside the temple.

I am so grateful that David had this experience at an age where he will remember it. I don't know how much he will remember, but I know he will have some recollection--particularly because he prayed for this blessing. I hope he remembers his feelings surrounding this unique experience. 

After the sealing, David changed his prayer to ask, "Please help me to return to the temple when I turn 12."

I was so pleased to hear him pray for this desire of his heart. 

I know his Father in Heaven was pleased as well.