One of the most precious truths of the restored gospel is the work we do for our kindred dead. Any of the saving ordinances of the gospel that a person was unable to do for themselves in this life can be done by proxy in the temple. That person then has the opportunity to accept the work done on their behalf, or not.
On August 31st, we had the opportunity to do Rachel's temple work for her. At that point, she had been gone for almost 4 years. She died just three weeks short of her 17th birthday. We all knew that Rachel was looking forward to attending the temple and receiving her endowment when the time was right for her. Since her passing, we had left the decision of when to do her work up to my Mom. And Mom hadn't felt like it was time yet. But when my oldest niece Megan approached her and asked if we could do Rachel's work before she left for her mission in October, my Mom knew the time was right. Interestingly enough, both Jami and I had each had experiences in the temple that left us with the impression that Rachel was anxious for her work to be done. So the decision was made to do Rachel's work over Labor Day weekend.
Jeff, Jami, and the kids made their way out from Denver, and made it into town late on Friday night, August 30th. We were meeting for an early session at the Bountiful Temple...I believe it was the 9:00 am session. My Mom went early and served as proxy for Rachel's initiatory. Danny and I took the kids up to my Mom's so that Rose and Tali could watch them while we were at the temple (we left Luke with Roger and Lori). Jeff, Jami, Megan, Danny, and I met my Mom in the chapel along with Brother and Sister Priest from her ward. It was really awesome to be together in the temple. My Mom, Jami, Megan, and I all wore our "Sunflower" temple dresses, which is the dress we chose for Rachel to be buried in. We all bought them together when we bought Rachel's, knowing there would come a time when we would all be together to do her work.
The session was amazing. My Mom served as proxy for Rachel for her endowment as well, and there was a very precious and sweet spirit in that session. It was my first time seeing the new temple instructional video, and it only added to the experience. After the session was over, we spent about 15 minutes or so talking together in the Celestial Room. It was so fun to be together, though admittedly we did miss those of our siblings that weren't able to be there. We talked about the beauty of the Plan of Salvation, and speculated as to how everything worked on the other side of the veil. We felt Rachel close, and we basked in the peace of knowing that we are an eternal family.
It was a beautiful day, and the temple grounds were breathtaking. We took a few minutes before heading home to our children to take some pictures.
We all, including my Mom, worried about how this would affect my Mom. It always so hard to predict what grief will do to you. Sometimes, things that should be happy absolutely crush you. And other times, when you would expect to fall apart, you're surprisingly fine. I was so happy to see that my Mom was happy. That she was feeling the peace of the Spirit, and that she could sense Rachel's excitement.
Megan and I noticed this really cool bee! It was really picture-perfect, don't you think?
Honestly, we could have stayed at the temple all day! But, we had children to feed. :) We had planned a big lunch with everyone at Grandma Candy's, so we left the temple, picked up the party subs, and met back at Grandma's. Danny made his way to his parents' house to get Luke and made sure he had a good nap before meeting back up with us. We enjoyed lunch and some time to visit, and then everyone kind of did their own thing. Some of us enjoyed the first BYU Football game of the season (until it was delayed for lightening for more than two hours!), babies napped, kids played, and the older kids when with Jeff to enjoy some go-carting. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon. Jeff and Jami had family pictures planned in Ogden that evening, so hair curling and make-up commenced at about 4:00 pm. I had set up their pictures for them, and so was invited to come along. I love family pictures! Grandma Candy came too while Danny watched our kids and finished the BYU game. We had a blast doing family pictures, and they turned out amazing! When we got home, Danny was pretty upset about the game and needed to work out some energy before bed. So we organized a go-cart outing for the dads and older kids. I took the kids home and put them to bed, and Danny came home a much happier husband. :)
Sunday was a neat day, too. We met my Mom at her ward, and even Luke got to come. It was also fast and testimony meeting, so we had the opportunity to share our testimonies with each other, and hear from friends in my Mom's ward. It was the perfect spiritual high note to end the weekend on! After church, we again went back to Grandma Candy's house to enjoy the day together. The cousins played, there were rousing games of Scrabble, and Grandma Candy showed the kids how to play "army guys". It was an awesome afternoon!
Then it was dinner time! My favorite. :) My Mom got this awesome grill at a garage sale earlier in the summer, and she was dying to put it to work. So we grilled just about everything we could think of! Shrimp Kabobs, Steak, Tilapia, Salmon...and it was all wonderful!
And of course, ice cream for dessert! :)
After dinner the kids put on a Variety Show for the family. It was awesome! There was dancing and singing and fighting...and I think Sophie sketched in front of us. :)
There were epic "Spaceteam" games (best app ever!)...
...and Luke cuddles all around.
But as much as we tried...as much as we always try...to keep it from happening, we eventually had to say goodbye. We just never get enough time together!
We had such a wonderful weekend. How grateful I am for the gospel. I am so grateful to know the Plan of Salvation. It brings me peace to know where Rachel is, what she's doing, and what we can look forward to. I love my family, and I look forward to an eternity of memories with each and every one of them.
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