(This is not my Dad's old screen door, but it is similar to My Dad's This image is from EBay)
Some people might say that I form an un-natural attachment to things. My dear Dad had new doors put in his house this past week. They are good, solid doors that were custom built to fit in the house that he built himself over sixty years ago, and they will do a much better job of keeping out the cold and the drafts. But it made me sad to walk in the back door on Saturday morning, and not hear the old familiar sound of the screen door slamming itself shut. It was attached to a spring that kept the door from being left ajar as the kids were constantly coming and going all summer long doing chores or playing outside, and saved my dear mother much of the battle against the flies that are inevitable on a dairy farm.
I light-heartedly expressed my sadness at seeing the screen door go to my brother and my sister, and they offered to send the old screen door home with me, which I politely declined. My own family is constantly battling to get me to let go of so many of the old "things" that I have become attached to, and I usually shed a tear or two every time we say goodbye to an old car or an old sofa. Sigh.
Tonight I said another goodbye, at least for now.
The Jordan River Temple will be closing next week for extensive renovations, and is not scheduled to re-open until the latter part of 2017. This temple has been "my" temple for many years. Our family donated to the fund-raising efforts for the Jordan River Temple construction back in the 1970's. I attended the open-house shortly before I attended the Salt Lake Temple to receive my own temple blessings back in 1981. This has been the temple that our family has regularly attended since we moved back to the area in 1994. It is a very short drive away from our home. My children have all been able to perform baptisms here as youth. My four oldest children have also been blessed to attend here as adults. I was blessed to be able to attend on an almost weekly basis for a few years before I began working full time. It is the House of the Lord, and it almost feels like my second home. I know that there are many other temples nearby that I can visit, and I will, but I know that I will miss my trips to this temple.
I always enjoy my visits to the temple. Sometimes I go with specific questions or problems on my mind that I am concerned about. Sometimes I receive inspiration about things in my life that I had not even thought about. I always feel at home, comforted, and loved.
I often see friends and acquaintances when I attend the Jordan River Temple, and I was happy that was the case tonight, I also felt a very strong spirit of love and peace, and I could feel the presence of many others from beyond the veil. I very strongly felt the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I will admit that I did shed a tear or two. It has been an incredibly special evening, and even though I am sad that I will not return to this temple for quite a while, I do feel very incredibly blessed to have enjoyed my evening there tonight.
Learn more about LDS Temples at https://www.lds.org/topics/temples?lang=eng
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