The temple walk

Today was full.  I spent the morning with Janna's little person, played basketball, and then took her to dance class.  Due to her refusal to dance alone, I spent a half an hour warming up and practicing a recital dance with a roomful of 3 and 4 year olds.  It was a reminder that I am never too old to dance like a ballerina, and that my flexibility levels are at an all time low.

Spent lunch time with a group of the most amazing women to celebrate a birthday, went grocery shopping, picked up kids from school, took Lainy to and from volleyball, and finally walked 5 miles with our young women, from the church building to the Cedar City LDS Temple, currently under construction.

We walked along the busy main street, the weather was perfect, and the girls were in good spirits.  Each mile marker there was a loving leader, to share with us both physical and spiritual sustenance, preparing us for our journey forward toward the temple.  It took 2 hours, but I didn't hear one word of complaint, instead I heard laughter, encouragement, and even a challenge to see how many times the girls could get passersby to wave back. It was a lot.  I heard one person ask why we chose the route along the busy street.  For safety reasons we chose that path with a sidewalk for the majority of the time.  But it made me think about our journey to the temple on a spiritual level.  These girls will have to travel along side the world.  They will have to steer clear of the noise and traffic of it.  It is loud and fast, but there is a clear pathway to the temple if you stay on track.  We had several girls meet us on the trail due to time constraints, and I realized that we do pick up people and bring them with us along the way.  That it doesn't matter at what point on the journey they join us, we were just happy they came.  At the very end there was a stretch of road just before you get to the temple that goes up a very steep hill.  It reminded me that our journey is long, and our journey is hard. And we have to push forward even until the very end to receive these beautiful blessings of the temple, and of eternity.  But it was worth it.  It is worth it.   I am so grateful I was able to experience tonight with Lainy.  She loved it.  I loved it.  Tonight was one of those stepping stones that prepares each of us to enter the Holy Temple of God.