Tuesday I carpooled to our Relief Society's monthly temple session.

Just me, myself and I.

No one else showed up...

It was a beautiful day and felt good to get to the temple.

Sometimes it's easier to take in/notice the beauty of such a sacred place when you're alone.

I don't mind making the trip AT ALL.

I remember when the closest temple was in Washington, D.C. Making trips there as a youth was a BIG deal.

The long bus rides, hanging out with friends... it was all so fun, and we didn't see it as a sacrifice. (Our parents probably did, but they were grateful to have a temple close enough for us to attend, and did all they could to support those fun excursions.)

I was reminded of the day in June of 1997 when my friend Cynthia and I decided to pull our older kids out of school and attend the temple groundbreaking ceremony.  We were SO excited to be getting our very own temple!  And so close... She and I had six small children between us.  It was an unforgettable day.  We worked extra hard to keep the kids quiet, and to help them understand how special the occasion was.  Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pulled little four-year-old Enrique over and had him help shovel the dirt.  Then all the kids had a turn.  We really felt an ownership in the building that was to be erected on those grounds.

 By the time the temple was finished and dedicated, it was the fall of 2000, and our fifth child was on the way.

Now it feels like the temple has been there forever.

Now MY kids are attending the temple with their youth groups, and enjoy the (much shorter) trips there together as well.

I'm grateful to have a temple so close.

There's a peace to be found there that can be felt in no other place.

The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”

-Thomas S. Monson