November 10, 2013

Present day: 
      After some recent reading and experiences, I've been pondering on the interesting ways that God seems to work in my life and others lives. I was thinking about the mysterious ways that He chooses to converse with us as people, regardless of our faith or beliefs. For some reason my thoughts traced back to an experience that I had many years ago. I felt compelled to share it with you, my readers. Thankfully, I was able to find the archived record of one of the most sacred experiences in my life.

November 10, 2013:
    Today has been an interesting day. I’ve been working at the Salt Lake temple as a housekeeper for some-time now and we’ve been cleaning the solemn assembly room on the fifth floor of the temple as preparation for the devotional today. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was the speaker. Kristi and I were invited and brought her mom and dad as our guests.

The devotional started off with a hymn “God Is in His Holy Temple.”

The Temple President and his wife spoke first. Sister A spoke of an experience a patron shared with her that she called a “thin veil experience.” I pondered upon her stories and couldn’t recall ever having such an experience in my own life.

Following Sister A, President A spoke of the sacredness of the temple and the many things that have been revealed there; especially in the Solemn Assembly room. Following his words of devotion, the choir sang “Be Still My Soul.” This happens to be among my favorite hymns and I felt incredibly moved by the spirit in the room as it was sung.

Elder M. Russell Ballard stood to take his turn at the pulpit. I listened intently to his words, still complimenting on the thought of never hearing a voice from the other side or seeing angels or anything of that degree. He spoke of our ancestors and of their love and support for the work that we do on their behalf in the temple. He mentioned how they support us in our individual lives and how they are always surrounding us and building us up.

I began to think about the deceased of my family and the closeness I share with my loved ones. Thoughts about my Great-grandma Twila Cassel, who passed away in 2002 when I was 11, entered my mind. Her temple work had done by proxy between 2004 and 2005. Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion; tears flooded down my face and my heart was racing. It was as if I could feel her there. I felt as if she spoke to my soul. She let me know that she had accepted the work done for her, that she had entered the paradise of our God, that she is very happy, and that she was watching over our family. I was overcome with this emotion for about twenty minutes. Then, she emphasized to my soul that I should tell her son of the news, my Grandpa.

As I so felt impressed, that after the devotion, I called him and my grandma. Still overcome with emotion, even an hour after the experience, I explained what had happened to them, as I am doing now. And, after a few moments of silence and taking it in, my grandma told me that she had asked Grandma Cassel to, if she could, come back one day and let us know how she was doing.

Oh how merciful and mysterious are the ways of the Lord. He softens our hearts and constantly shows to us that He is aware of us, His children.

Present Day:

I will always reflect on this miracle that happened to me. Just when I felt like I couldn’t see or feel these sorts of “visions”, one might call them, I got a glimpse of the unimaginable majesty of the realms that surround us all. 
If you've lost someone that you love, remember that they are likely watching over your life, cheering you on as you struggle to find your place in this confusing and sometimes frustrating world.

Photo by Derek Cassel 2013