Oh, what a wonderful day it was!
I woke the boys at 6:30am this morning. They slowly and reluctantly poured out of bed, wondering why I would insist that they get up and dressed so early. "Today is the day we get our angel!" I proclaimed. Daniel jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed. Darren heard the noise and was ready to join the action. Dallin took his time.
We were off just after 7am, headed for the Kansas City LDS Temple site. Today they would place the statue of the angel Moroni on top of the East spire. Rumor had it that there would be an unveling ceremony at 10am. I didn't want to miss a bit of the action, and I was hoping to make it past any barricades they would put up to distance the public. By 7:30am I was parked at a little alcove on the East side of the temple. Accompanied by both close and new friends, we watched the green tarp come off the statue.
We had at least an hour in the van with little or no action around Moroni. I decided we'd make the most of this time together and pull out our scriptures. We recently finished the Doctrine and Covenants and began reading the Pearl of Great Price at Daniel's request. This morning as we awaited the rising of an angel, we poured over the second chapter of Moses. What a fantastic thing to read at the temple! This was the story of the creation of Earth and the heaven around it. The boys seemed more interested than usual as we spoke of the lights in the firmament, the beasts, and the fouls. We found ourselves really studying the verses, not just reading them. It was a gigantically spiritual experience. I am thankful that they were reverent enough to allow that all to happen.
The sides of the crate were soon lowered. It was at this point that we took a stroll to get a closer look of that beautiful statue.
We were able to talk with a member of the construction crew working on the stake center. What a nice guy! We also spoke with a man named Rule (sp?) who is the head of operations for the temple site. Both these men were members of the Church and it showed. They were both so kind and courteous. Rule politely explained that our perfect parking spot was within the liability of the construction company. The foreman was uncomfortable with that. The gentleman placed orange traffic cones on Searcy Creek, the main road on the west side of the temple, reserving one lane of traffic for us to park in. We quickly moved our van to the street and were grateful to still be so close to the action. Our dear friend Dave soon joined us as well. We had a great view as we stood in his truck bed. It was great to be able to see and photograph above the chain linked fence.
The statue stood still on it's side until 25 minutes after 10am when the beautiful golden image of Moroni was lifted vertically into it's place atop the Eastern spire. It was a cloudy day with a cold breeze. The slightest bit of sunlight peeked through as the statue was lifted, lighting it just enough to make it really stand out from the gloomy backdrop. I was surprised how perfectly shiny and golden it was. It was such a brilliant thing to behold.
Watching it rise was a more powerful experience than I expected. I kept reminding my boys that this was history in the making. I reminded each of them what age they were the day Moroni topped the Kansas City Temple. I think I will keep reminding them so that they'll always have this special experience in their minds. My video recording is shaky thanks to the wind, the zoom, and the little one on my hip who was really done being cold. Yet, I did manage to get some pretty great stills of the event. There was a good-sized crowd in attendance and a joyous roar was heard among them as the statue met its final place atop the spire. I am so glad to have been a part of it.
My love for this temple runs far and deep. I have a passion for the temple because of the sacred ordinances that are performed therein. I am grateful for the blessings of the temple that seal my family to me for eternity. This temple makes my heart especially full as I think of the opportunity that the open house will bring. As Mormon temples are closed to the public after dedication, many dear friends and family members have never set foot inside such a beautiful house of the Lord. When a new temple is built, an Open House welcomes the public to tour the building and learn about what takes place within these walls. My children who are not yet old enough to participate in temple ordinance will be able to enter the Kansas City Temple for the open house. We will be able to show them first hand the kind of alter we kneel at, the dual mirrors that offer the image of eternity, and the Celestial room which offers an atmosphere of heaven. I can't wait to share it!!!
I am pleased to learn that construction is ahead of schedule and that the temple may be completed as early as the end of this year. The day will not come soon enough.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Kids May Never Thank Me
First, an apology: My blog has been a place I only visit lately when desperately needing to vent. Reading the last few entries, things seem rather depressing. My blog is very much the therapeutic leather couch upon which I work out all my troubles. Sorry if it has been less than uplifting.
Secondly, my blog is very much a record of my mortal existence. I hope to one day soon put together one of those beautifully designed hardback versions of my blog in print for my posterity to ponder in amazement. I hope that it is a true encyclopedia of my life offering wisdom, laughter, and just enough insanity to make it fun. Many important/interesting events have gone undocumented, including birthdays, a creative valentine's day scavenger hunt, visits to the temple site, and much more. However, this last week needs to be discussed so that someday my kids will know that I tried to be a great mom.
Our school district chose to give us a Monday and Tuesday off following a Friday's teacher workday as Spring Break this year. James was allowed a week off school for a Spring break that began that same Monday. I felt it was more valuable for my kids to enjoy those days with their dad than it was for them to attend class those days. We visited the zoo in St. Louis on Wednesday. The boys bonded over movie nights, staying up late sharing bowls of popcorn. A short hike through a nature reserve was an important part of the week as well. The time spent riding bikes, going to the theater, shopping, and baking together was invaluable. The week was delightfully full of quality family time.
My boys returned to school yesterday to find a sea of worksheets at their desks. They each had more worksheets than a kid could do in a day. Daniel's teacher expects it all done right away. Tonight, instead of enjoying the beautiful weather, I tried to entertain my toddler while assisting the other two with their overwhelming loads of busy work. Oh, how I wish the school could see that my children's time with us was so much more valuable than a few word problems and some practice rhyming. Could we just drop the worksheets and move on? If their work was part of a unit, I would understand. If any of it was a precursor or stepping stone for something they would work on next, I would understand. But this was just busy work. An insane amount of busy work.
To top it all off, the school tried to insure families would not take additional time off by holding class pictures during the second half of the week. Daniel was quite troubled when he learned that he missed it. I told him that when we see that yearbook and his presence missing from the class picture, we'll remember that we were too busy having fun, having togetherness, and having a life to be doing worksheets at school that day.
I love my dear friend Lisa who put it all into proper perspective for me. She said, "Never let school get in the way of a good education." Thanks, Lisa.
My kids may never thank me for keeping them out of school and creating this backlog of worksheets, but I hope they will someday appreciate that their mom thought that time spent together as a family trumps all. I want them to remember that despite the opposition, we choose to be together, and oh what a joy it is to be together!
Secondly, my blog is very much a record of my mortal existence. I hope to one day soon put together one of those beautifully designed hardback versions of my blog in print for my posterity to ponder in amazement. I hope that it is a true encyclopedia of my life offering wisdom, laughter, and just enough insanity to make it fun. Many important/interesting events have gone undocumented, including birthdays, a creative valentine's day scavenger hunt, visits to the temple site, and much more. However, this last week needs to be discussed so that someday my kids will know that I tried to be a great mom.
Our school district chose to give us a Monday and Tuesday off following a Friday's teacher workday as Spring Break this year. James was allowed a week off school for a Spring break that began that same Monday. I felt it was more valuable for my kids to enjoy those days with their dad than it was for them to attend class those days. We visited the zoo in St. Louis on Wednesday. The boys bonded over movie nights, staying up late sharing bowls of popcorn. A short hike through a nature reserve was an important part of the week as well. The time spent riding bikes, going to the theater, shopping, and baking together was invaluable. The week was delightfully full of quality family time.
My boys returned to school yesterday to find a sea of worksheets at their desks. They each had more worksheets than a kid could do in a day. Daniel's teacher expects it all done right away. Tonight, instead of enjoying the beautiful weather, I tried to entertain my toddler while assisting the other two with their overwhelming loads of busy work. Oh, how I wish the school could see that my children's time with us was so much more valuable than a few word problems and some practice rhyming. Could we just drop the worksheets and move on? If their work was part of a unit, I would understand. If any of it was a precursor or stepping stone for something they would work on next, I would understand. But this was just busy work. An insane amount of busy work.
To top it all off, the school tried to insure families would not take additional time off by holding class pictures during the second half of the week. Daniel was quite troubled when he learned that he missed it. I told him that when we see that yearbook and his presence missing from the class picture, we'll remember that we were too busy having fun, having togetherness, and having a life to be doing worksheets at school that day.
I love my dear friend Lisa who put it all into proper perspective for me. She said, "Never let school get in the way of a good education." Thanks, Lisa.
My kids may never thank me for keeping them out of school and creating this backlog of worksheets, but I hope they will someday appreciate that their mom thought that time spent together as a family trumps all. I want them to remember that despite the opposition, we choose to be together, and oh what a joy it is to be together!
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