Tender mercy miracles

It's our 20th anniversary next week. It's been a very good 20 years. Due to our job & financial situation, I had prayed for a couple of days that Nels and I would somehow be able to have an "anniversary getaway." Those are important to me, and always strengthen our relationship. Then on Thursday, everything fell into place. A plan that had been in the works for several weeks finally fell together for that weekend, for G, K, & S to go over to Uncle Jacob's house (my brother), for an overnight game weekend. Mom B agreed to take the little boys, J & J, leaving us alone at home. She also pitched in some money so we could go out to dinner. And that we did. It was perfect.

Then Saturday morning we made plans to go to the temple together. (It was closed for Pioneer Day.) I prayed that I would feel the Spirit while we were there, and wow, we DID!

When we got to the mostly full chapel, up walked the priesthood brother to ask us to be the witness couple. (It's kind of amazing, but that's a very common occurance on our anniversary getaway weekends! The Lord must plan it that way.) Anyway, the session was marvelous. There were four soon-to-be-brides receiving their endowments, and that added to the tenderness of the experience. Then at the veil I was overwhelmed by the Spirit - I felt LOVED, and grateful for the promises being made, and the blessing of the opportunity to be making them. I have LOVED going to the temple for over 23 years!

Then in the Celestial Room, we ran into Carol McCann Clubb and her husband. It stirred another memory. As our (double) wedding was at 7:20 a.m., and neither of us brides had parents living in Utah at the time, Harlene's friend Carol spent the night before our wedding with us at the Marriott Hotel in SLC.

Also in the Celestial Room, we found a former PG 12th warder, Glen Haynie, who is Bishop of on of the PG Spanish wards. He was there to be with a ward family who was being sealed together, 2+ kids. "It doesn't get much better than this," he remarked. So true!

Wow, talk about tender mercies, answers to prayers! We are blessed with lots of them.

Somehow I'm going to make the time to do some wedding memory posts in honor of our big anniversary. I'm thinking of doing our courtship story like Becky did recently. (K and I stayed up super late the other night while she drew that crazy/fun story and others out of me. More later...)