A Trip to the Detroit Temple

This past Wednesday, I drove over to Bloomfield Hills, and attended the Detroit Temple with Dave & Joyce, Paul & Rachelle, & Annie.

This photo is from the church's website - it didn't really look
like this on Wednesday; there was snow
on the ground, for one thing, and
no leaves on the trees! But it's a beautiful building.

Happily, Dave had a camera, so here are a couple pictures to prove we were there.

Robin, Annie, Joyce, Rachelle, & Paul

Can you find the difference between this photo & the
previous  picture? (Answer: Robin turned into David - scary!)

After our session, we lunched at the Potbelly Sandwich Shop, not far from the temple. The sandwiches were good, and it was nice to relax and visit. Conversation covered the movie Babies, Annie's experiences as an intern with church magazines, successful weight loss, and lots in between.

As always when I drive to the temple, I can't help but compare my travel arrangements with those of the pioneers, struggling to build roads and plant crops as they traveled. I am grateful for a warm car and good roads, and the fact that I can drive there, attend the temple, enjoy a meal, and drive back home, all in an easy day.

I'm also grateful for iPods and podcasts, and enjoyed listening again to the talks from last September's General Relief Society Meeting.

I picked up on Sister Julie Beck's use of the word "haven" to describe our homes, and pondered how I could make our home more of a haven.

And I appreciated this comment from Sister Silvia Allred:

How do we strengthen our belief in the affirmations that I have heard over and over again from so many of you, that you believe in God’s love for you, that you trust you will receive His blessings, and that you understand the plan of redemption through the Savior Jesus Christ and your important part in His plan?

I will suggest four things that have helped me: prayer, scripture study, obedience, and service.

I can remember teaching youth classes where the kids complained, "we've heard this principle a thousand times." I always replied that we have to get it right, so we keep teaching the same basic principles, over and over. Certainly I've heard Sister Allred's list a thousand times, and yet I haven't quite got it down yet. It's good to be reminded of these basic principles, and ponder how I can adjust my life to be more diligent in these areas.

Note to self: Keep trying!