Stand Ye In Holy Places

We talked about standing in holy places at church today. While the discussion was taking place, I imagined having a spot in my home called the "Holy Place." Just a little reading nook surrounded by a cone of silence. You know, nothing major. And, if it's not too much to ask, a button that summons Rosie the robot who will clean my house and feed my children until I'm feeling a little more "holy."

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea of having a space to retreat and regroup. I think a secluded spot to gather myself together again would be great, but where? Let's see…the bathroom? "Mommy! Are you in there? Can you see my fingers?"Maybe not. Oh, I know! My room! I can just lock the door..."Mommy! (banging on door) Mommy, the door's locked! (rattles handle) I can't open it! Mommy, open the door!" I may need to add some headphones into this equation. My kids can sense a closed door from across the house. For some reason, this really disturbs their little world. They freak out like I've hitched a ride to Australia. Hmmm...Australia. No...no, not practical.

Joking aside, my home is supposed to be a refuge from the storms of the world, not just for me, but for my family and those we invite within its walls. So, what does a holy place look like? I imagine it to be a safe place, a spiritual refuge. A place where the Spirit can teach, where words are kind and love is felt. It is a place of repentance and forgiveness. Anyone who has been inside an LDS temple knows what it feels like to be in a holy place. This is the pattern I want to use in my home. The temple is also always clean and quiet, but there are no graham crackers, Legos or little voices that know only one volume. I don't think the Lord will mind if I file "spotless" and "quiet" under "unattainable" right now, but that doesn't mean that a spiritual refuge is out of my grasp. Sometimes, holy places are covered in grape jelly and filled with very loud, high-pitched voices.

Making my home a holy place starts with me. I am the heart of my home. You know the saying, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobodyhappy"? Well, I believe it goes the other way too. I have a strong influence over the tone and mood of our home. It's a big responsibility, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it. My inner toddler has been known to throw an "it's not fair" fit over it (usually an Oreo and a nap quiets her down). But, that’s just the way it is. If I want my home to be a holy place, I need to scheduletime to feed my spirit through prayer, scripture study and meditation (6am anyone?). It means I need to check my spiritual meter during the day, and recharge when I'm running low. Maybe that means locking my bedroom door and clearing a spot in my closet. I can't and I'm not expected to do it alone. The Lord is invited into holy places. In fact, holy places are centered on Christ. Through the Spirit, He is there to guide, teach, listen, and heal.

Making my home a holy place means that I forgive myself like I forgive others. That's an important one for me. I'm not perfect. Not even close. I married someone just as imperfect, and we passed it on to our children. That's okay, because holy places aren't filled with perfect people. They are filled with people who love each other and are willing to repent and forgive. Holy places have people who repeatedly fail but keep working, because holy places are places of learning. In holy places, we study and pray together, we serve each other, and we lift each other up.

I want my home to be a holy place, so my family can have the experiences we need to fortify ourselves against the bombardment of the world. I imagine us taking that little piece of heaven with us as we interact with friends and neighbors, sharing light and love wherever we go. I hope we can spread peace and joy in our daily travels, and when the storms come, we can find refuge in our holy places.

--Holly

Worth it?

I want to tell you a story of a time when I was extreme foolish. This experience has had a profound impact on my life. I was five. I was the owner of a beautiful metal box that had a built-in combination. My dad gave it to me. It was the greatest thing. I kept all of my prized possessions in there (my stick-on earrings, gel pens, and my hello-kitty eraser). Well, one Sunday, my older sister, Kate, had a huge bag of skittles in Sacrament meeting. She would not share and it wasn’t even the regular size, it was the party-size. I tried and tried to convince her to share, but she would not. In a final desperate attempt, I offered her my beautiful box if she would share with me. She gave me SIX SKITTLES for my box. Six. I agreed to accept six skittles in exchange for my box. Eating my skittles, I was (mostly) happy at the time, but I very quickly regretted my decision. It was a straight-up Jacob and Esau situation. And I was Esau. I still can’t hear about that story without cringing and thinking back to that trade I made. I sold myself short. I lost sight of what was more important to me.

I often think of this in relation to things on a grander scale. Many things can be substituted for the box and many for the skittles. While I know we do give up things that are important for things we want now, I think that more often instead of actively giving things up, we get distracted. The box is eternal life and the skittles are Satan’s distractions. Satan is the master of distraction. We get distracted easily by things that don’t matter instead of focusing on the eternal. How many times do we give the internet or Netflix most of our time? How long do we hold on to grudges or are quick to take offense? Perfectionism, jealousy, comparison, and seeking worldly success are all distractions from what’s most important. Through these distractions, we are selling ourselves short of our divine potential. Just as a bowl of pottage wasn’t worth Esau’s inheritance and six skittles not worth the box, neither are Satan’s distractions worth our eternal salvation. Never make that trade.

--Camille

Family History

This past Sunday I was asked to speak in church about family history. And honestly, my first thought was, 'really? what do I say?... Go... do family history!  yay!'

Luckily I was told to base it off of Elder Cook's most recent conference talk, 'Roots and Branches'. It is a wonderful talk and I would encourage anyone interested in Family History to read it. What a great message it has. It is so important to find our family members!

So, here is a little story from my talk, which emphasizes why we need to do our family history work.

"You know, we can all do family history in some degree or another. My family just had a big reunion in June and while there, my brother told us a story about his 10 year old daughter.  He said that it was a Saturday morning.  At 7 in the morning. He told us he was laying in bed, enjoying his only day to ‘sleep in’.  Well, it didn’t last long.  He heard a soft knock on the door, and in came his oldest.  She had in her hands a paper, and said the simple words, ‘Hi, daddy, I found a family name for you and mom to take to the temple’.   What?!  I was astounded when I heard this. Not only was she awake and dressed at 7 in the morning, which, lets face it, is quite the feat in and of itself. … but she had been awake since 6:30 and what did she choose to do?  Play with her sister?  No… Annoy her brothers? Nope…. Wake up the baby? Uh uh… She choose to quietly get on the computer, and no, not play games, but search for her family. To find a family member who had not had all their temple work completed for them."

Well, I just love my family!