An Afternoon, A Good Book, The Temple

Today wasn't a terribly unusual day. It was my first time cashiering at work (a job that had me nervous at first, but that I felt increasingly comfortable with) and I got to chat with Elder Josh Merrell, one of my best friends, for a while (I need to make plans to send him a package sometime). Cashiering is the only job in the cafeteria that you don't need to wear a hat or a hairnet for, so that was a very liberating change from the usual. I had wanted to go to the temple sometime this weekend, and since the cafeteria is only a 5-10 minute walk from there, I went right after working the lunch shift.

Taken on a late spring morning

Wow. I can't put into words how peaceful and just lovely it felt. I wanted to spend some time beforehand to get in the right mindset, so when I arrived, I sat on a shaded bench on the temple grounds. The weather was perfect. Starting around 3 in the afternoon, I ended up reading from the scriptures and writing in my journal for over an hour. I felt so relaxed and just... wonderful. Content; warm; meditative. I read in the Book of Mormon from 2 Nephi chapter 2, and in section 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The passage in 2 Nephi basically explains life: why we have opposition in life (good and evil) and how we can be happy (hmm...). Doctrine and Covenants 122 was written when Joseph Smith was imprisoned (again) on false charges, separated from his family, and kept hearing about the suffering church members; in it, he is comforted that whatever happens to him will make him stronger and help him to grow. Joseph was also reminded that Christ is always there for him. I didn't really learn anything new in terms of facts or statements, but I deepened my understanding of the Atonement and how Christ makes everything possible (and I do mean everything). I took notes in my journal on insights and new perspectives I found while reading. Finally, I put my books back in my bag, swapped my yellow flip-flops for brown flats, fished out my temple recommend, and started up the sidewalk through the flower beds to the temple itself.

It was almost empty inside the baptistry (very unusual, since it's usually packed. Thank you, opening football game), and the happy, calm feeling stayed with me. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, besides making almost record time for both the proxy baptisms and confirmations (I was probably in there for no more than a half hour). I was very thoughtful on the way home. I came out of this afternoon's trip with more commitment to do the things I already know I'm supposed to do. That's one of the things I like about life - there's always room for improvement; you never need to be stagnant or bored. Perhaps sometime I'll post on here my new life objectives for the next semester. And I promise I'll try to be more lively in future posts, although it's likely I'll have a mix of the entertaining and the serious :)