My joy is full...

Today I found out something wonderful I've been hoping and praying for will be coming true.  At our LDS General Conference held this morning, it was announced a temple will be built in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I AM SO EXCITED!  It was one of those moments when you are so surprised and happy that the tears come and you experience pure joy.  Overwhelmed with emotion, I cried and cried.  My mom called and I cried.  I called a friend and cried.  I called my sister-in-law, who also lives in Fort Collins, and cried.

I love attending the temple and now since I am at an advanced age (can't believe I said that) and have the time, I would love to be a temple worker.  But that has been impossible for me to consider at the Denver location.  By the time I figured in travel duration (3-4 hours in regular white-knuckle traffic and more if traffic is heavy or there's an accident) plus adding the temple shift itself, I would not only be exhausted but my O2 wouldn't last long enough.  

As it is now, it can be difficult to just fit in a session.  In order to get treatments in before a morning drive to attend the temple, I must wake up about 6 a.m. which can be extremely hard to do if I've spent the night coughing up a lung. Despite that, getting up early in itself wouldn't be so bad except once I'm sitting in the peaceful, quiet room I have to fight to stay alert.  It is so frustrating wanting to be awake and attentive and you find your head bobbing despite all your I-must-stay-awake tricks.  

Now my goal is to stay healthy long enough so that I CAN be a part of this new temple.  I am ready to grab a shovel and start digging myself just to speed up the process...a process that can take several years to complete depending on land availability, zoning approvals, and then construction with all its inherent delays.


One thing I don't have on my side is time so I'm very impatient when it comes to waiting for future events.  Long-term thinking/planning is something, as a cystic, that is hard for me to do because eventually my mind works its way to "what if I don't live long enough to______" and I don't like going there.  And with my health getting progressively worse, my "future" time frame seems more restricted than ever.  Heck, at this point I don't even like planning more than two weeks in advance because I don't want to be disappointed again when things don't work out because I'm sick.  So here's to speedy construction workers (if there is such a thing) and cooperative weather. 

For my bloggy friends who may not know much about our temples, basically, in the temple we are taught, we make covenants, and we are promised blessings. We receive ordinances that enable us to live in the presence of God.  For more great information about temple worship you can go to http://lds.org/church/temples.

Just can't get this smile off my face!  

Denver Colorado Temple - my current closest temple

Idaho Falls Idaho Temple - temple I was married in