That Feeling

Yesterday I got to teach our Relief Society lesson... Although since I got to pick the topic etc... it didn't feel much like a lesson so let's rephrase... I got to lead a discussion. We have some goals for our congregation this year, one of which is for every member of our congregation to have a temple experience in 2011. It was pretty awesome in the sense that we had a great great discussion. We are so blessed that we will have our own temple here in Calgary within the next few years (if the snow ever stops so construction can progress a little faster please) so long roadtrips and finding babysitters won't be such an issue. We talked about setting a date to go, being physically and spiritually prepared, things we can do to help our kids get excited about going even though they can't go inside yet, etc...
But, before all of that happened we had an opening song, and while we sung that particular song, I think for the first time in a long time, I felt the Spirit actually enter a room. So if I seemed a wee bit emotional in the beginning, I was. I had just had a profoundly enriching experience, and that continued for the next 45mins until we sang the closing song and I felt the confirmation that what had been discussed was right and I could go to bed feeling satisfied with my part in directing the discussion.
I love to teach, but I especially love to teach the gospel. It's a privilege to get to do that every once in a while because, as cliche as it sounds, I think I'm just a vehicle for the message of the Spirit and I'm happy to be used that way. The temple is one of my favorite places, for so many reasons. I love to feel close to God. I love to feel the influence of His Spirit, and there is no other place that I feel it as strong. What I hope everyone got from the discussion yesterday was that no matter what your situation in life is, you can go there and feel things that you've never felt before. You can go there and be enlightened and receive answers. You can go there and commit a lifetime and an eternity to the family you cherish. You can do things for other people that they can't do for themselves. Your children can sit on the grounds and ponder those all encompassing questions Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here? Where am I going? and you can give them answers, and help them identify the things that they need to do to get to where they need to be. I think that's a wonderful goal to have and I really do hope that our family is able to have those experiences this year, I'm definitely planning on it.