He Speaks To Us

As I sat in church a few weeks ago, one line from a country song kept replaying in my mind. "This is my temporary home, not where I belong." ("Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LraOiHUltak) As that line was on repeat in my mind, I thought of so many times where I have had a glimpse of what my permanent home will be like. These glimpses are such a treasure to me. Most of these glimpses have taken place in the temple. The temple is such a beautiful and sacred place where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints go for instruction and to seal families together for eternity. When I go to the temple I feel like the living and the dead dwell in that building together. Not in a creepy, dead body way. No, so many of the spirits of those I love, who have passed on, are in that building. They are there cheering me on and filling my heart with love.

Washington D.C. temple

A few months ago I had the great pleasure of going to a sealing (when you marry for time and all eternity in the temple) in the Atlanta, Georgia temple. I had the pleasure of teaching the bride, Meighan, when she was a teenager and over the years have watched her grow into the beautiful woman that she is. As I looked around the ornate room I saw the faces of so many friends that in many ways are family for me. They were my ward family and I still love them. However, there was also some of our family missing . Meighan's grandparents passed away and I was blessed to get to know them as well before we moved from the area. There were also others there who were missing a spouse or other loved one.

As the sealer (the person that performs the ceremony) spoke he mentioned how there were some who were there that we could not see, but could only feel. So many eyes teared up at that comment, including my own. There in that indescribably beautiful room I had a glimpse of the sweet reunion that our permanent home will have. Where we will embrace those we have lost in this life and we will not have to be separated from them ever again. That is my permanent home.

Which is a very good thing because once again my family is starting our preparations to move. Thankfully we are moving close by family and friends this time, but unfortunately we will be sending a very important part of our home to the "sand pit" as he calls it.

When I asked a friend how she was able to deal with deployment, she told me that the only way is to pray and stay close to the Lord. So that is what I will do.  This move is still one of the hardest I have had because I don't even want to consider what my life will be like without him around. He is my light and my laughter and my better half in many ways.

Years ago, just after we had bought our first and only home we have owned my husband talked about moving. I was so mad at him because I loved our little home and I wanted to stay there. I remember sitting in sacrament when the Lord spoke to me through a quiet thought placed in my head. "Home is where the Heart is."  (Which is a little saying my mom always had around the house growing up - thanks mom) That was years before my husband joined the military and years before I really realized its full impact. Yet, it has stuck with me. My home is where the people I love are. It is not a physical place.
So part of home is still in Monroe, Georgia with all of those amazing friends.  Part of it is in Germany with another beautiful friend and her family. Part of it is in Hawaii. Part of it is in Winder Georgia, Utah, Hoschton Georgia, Fort Bragg, California, Alaska, and many more places. My home is spread out all over the world. A piece of my heart is all over. I wish the biggest piece of my heart with stay with me, but I know it is always with him wherever he goes.

Still, I am so glad that God told me what I needed to hear and that He continues to speak to me as I seek Him in prayer. I know that He has helped me overcome and understand so many of the hurdles that have been placed in my life. My greatest wish is that anyone else who is struggling to find their way or to understand why they are going through something would remember that they have a loving Heavenly Father that is just waiting for them to turn to Him in prayer. He wants to speak to us and He has not stopped. Just as He spoke to that sealer so that he would say exactly what we needed to hear at that moment. He wants us to see that this is not our temporary home and He has prepared something so much greater than this one. A world without the loss of our loved ones.