Just The Peace I Was Looking For

A little over a month ago my co-health educator and office roommate found a new job. Because of the budget crisis, my work decided not to hire anyone to replace her. So I absorbed her job duties, so to speak. I’m like a two for one. First of all let me say how grateful I am that I have the job that I do. I love it. And I’m very grateful that I still have the job that I have. But this past week I was pushed to my limit…stress limit that is.

With this job I have been given the opportunity to do a lot different tasks or job duties. One of these job duties is to work with grants. I have never worked with grants. I took a class in college that was suppose to have section dedicated to working with grants, but lucky for me (or so I thought at the time) my teacher opted not to do that part of the project. So now I’m learning how to apply, maintain, and track a specific grant that I now happen to be over and have to use all of the money we have been awarded. I have high amounts of stress. I still have a lot of money to spend in a very short period of time (I wish that was the problem in my personal life). I’m also in a charge of a monthly newsletter. Months have never came and gone so quickly. I’m teaching health promotion classes in the community, and continuing to add new aspects to the volunteer program that I am over. May not seem like a lot, but it is. My outlook calendar and day planner are bursting at the seams!

The gym has never been so useful. I can feel my stress melting away with each hour I’m there. I love it. But I needed more.

Friday was our ward temple night. I was so excited that our schedules were open and we could go with them (going with just the two of us is nice, but sometimes it’s nice to go with other people you know too). Getting to the temple is always a struggle for us. There’s always something that aggravates me. This time was no different.

I made it home in plenty of time to change and freshen up. When I walked in the door Gordon asked me if I knew where my temple recommend was. I told him in my temple bag. He said nope. Then I said in my wallet. I looked; it wasn’t there. They were lost together. We searched all through the house, inside suit coats/pants, coats, dress pockets, drawers…everywhere. We started thinking about where we had them last. Then we remembered…Gordon checked my car and there they were: in the glove box. We had gone to a wedding and left them in the glove box for safe keeping. Now I was in rush mode. Lucky for us the temple is about 5 minutes away. Once we were inside we had to wait a little while in the chapel for our session to start. I am so grateful that I had that time to meditate. I was able to say a personal prayer and really think about the work I was performing. I have had many prayers answered before, but none as strongly as this one. I got so much out of this temple visit than I ever have before. I had to keep myself from bawling before, during, and after my session (I hate crying in front of people. I cry loudly and I make ridiculous faces…not pretty). I had some time to myself in the celestial room. I felt the spirit so strongly. I felt the peace that I have needed.

I have a stronger testimony of the temple and the work that is performed there. Words cannot describe the feelings I had that night. I only know that it was what I needed, it solidified my testimony, and I’m so grateful that I am worthy and can go there as often as I want and need.