I love to see the temple...

When I was in primary as a young girl I had 2 favorite songs:
When I Am Baptized and I Love to See the Temple.


I remember singing a solo to When I am Baptized in the primary program at church when I was 6 or 7 years old and yearning for the day when I would be baptized.

The lyrics are as follows:
I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain
And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.


I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away,
And I can be forgiven and improve myself each day.
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again.


For some reason the words of the song really touched my little heart and I couldn't wait until I was "...as clean as earth right after rain."

When I was 8 years old and was FINALLY baptized (I felt like I had waited FOREVER), I remember being so happy and while I was changing into my white dress hearing those lyrics in my mind.

I was clean, and though I didn't completely understand what that meant, I felt the spirit and was an unbelievably happy little girl.

The two songs, I Love to See the Temple and When I am Baptized, always seemed to belong together in my little girl mind.

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure why.
It's not like we sang them together, and they are several pages away from each other in the songbook.

Still, those two have always seemed to belong together for me.

The lyrics for I Love to See the Temple are as follows:
I love to see the temple.  I'm going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit, To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God, A place of love and beauty.
I'll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty.


I love to see the temple. I'll go inside someday.
I'll cov'nant with my Father; I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I've learned this truth:
A family is forever.

Today those lyrics changed for me and I sang them in my mind as I left the temple today.

I love to see the temple. I went in there today.
I felt the holy spirit, I listened and I prayed
For the temple is a house of God, A place of love and beauty.
I prepared myself while I was young;
This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple. I went in there today.
I covenanted with my Father; I promised to obey.
For the temple is a holy place Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I've leaned this truth:
A family is forever.

Deruda had to work but Stephie, Bug, and Juanita all came to be with me for my special day.

I can't tell you how wonderful the temple is.
I loved it so much.
I felt the love of my Heavenly Father so strongly there and that feeling has not diminished since I left.

I am grateful for this blessing in my life.

I am also, almost more so, grateful for the example and support of my parents and family.

As I learned eternal truths in the temple I found that I recognized so much of what was happening there.
This happened because my parents had been teaching them to me my entire life.

I didn't realize, and still don't completely understand, how indebted I am to them.

The words of those songs are true:

We can live with God again, and our families are forever.

I am so grateful.

♥ ♥ ♥