The Gilbert temple is absolutely breathtaking. Bruce and I have been blessed to visit many different temples in our marriage and I can easily say this was the most stunning of all temples we have been inside. (Though the Newport Beach temple is still my absolute favourite) The chandeliers inside the Gilbert temple are the most elaborate, sparkly things I have ever seen.
We went to the open house with our recently baptized next door neighbours. It was fun to watch them take in the beauty of the temple and answer as many of their questions as we could. But my favourite part was definitely watching Sunshine as she experienced the peace and magnificence of the temple. She was so curious about everything we saw and I think she learned a lot about why temples are important and what a sacred place they are. I hope her experience wih seeing the inside of the temple will help her to understand even more about why Bruce and I enjoy going to the temple. At the end of the tour, she reported that her favourite part was the chandeliers in the Celestial Room and that being in side the temple made her feel "like Jesus was close by".
Beebs was pretty silent through the tour, which is unusual for her. She just walked along with us, with no complaints of being tired or wanting to be carried as we treked up and down numerous flights of stairs. That alone was a huge indicator of how captivated she was by the beauty of her surroundings. Her favourite part was "the moose holding the baptism water". I about died trying to suppress my giggles when she told us that. Bruce was able to keep a straight face and explain that they were oxen, not moose. She told us that she felt Heavenly Father send the Spirit to be with us inside the temple. Oh how I love my girls!
Man Cub struggled throughout he tour. He was so exhausted but refused to nap on the drive over. By the time we got inside the temple, he was done. He fussed and fought being held through the whole thing, only settling down as we entered the Celestial Room. Even he recognized the strong spirit in that holy space. I couldn't help but wonder how thin the veil is for him, and if he realized that the Celestial Room was as close to heaven as he could get for the time being. He was so calm, just pointing at the beautiful lights and smiling.
As we left the temple, the crowds outside did not allow for a good family snapshot in front of the temple, especially since by that point, Man Cub was about to lose his mind. I did manage to get one of him and Beebs playing in the water feature outside the temple, something I would never let them do myself. Thank goodness for Daddy!
I am so grateful for the chance we had to show our children the inside of The House of The Lord. And now I'm more excited than ever for our new temple to be complete! I feel a renewed desire to be in the temple serving as often as I can. What a blessing to have several temples, so close by.
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