Why I Believe

Thursday afternoon, Allie Schneider, Aubri Root, and I flew out to California for our good friend, Hillary's, wedding. Leaving Thursday was strategic; it gave us all Friday at the beach. Although LA traffic lived up to its exacerbating reputation, we made it to the Santa Monica Pier an hour and a half after leaving Valencia. Hearing the waves crash on the sand made everything, the money, the gas, the preparation for a substitute, worth it. I wanted to stay there forever.

To actually get to where we we wanted to lay out, we had to drag Allie's wheelchair over several hundred feet of sand. That was an intense workout on my legs, similar to 'Insanity,' which were already quaking from a week of heavy lifting. Thankfully, in the last stretch, a few surfers saw me struggling to pull the chair and they took over. The next three hours consisted of us laying under the sun and not moving. It was heavenly. Like the woman in the movie "Out of Africa" says, "The cure for anything is salt: sweat, tears, or the sea." Friday made me a believer in that.

From there, we drove to meet Hillary and her mom for manicures and pedicures. We were feeling really pampered, so what do you do on a day like that? Continue to be lazy. We grabbed some food to go and settled in to watch the movie "Captain Phillips."

Saturday morning we drove back to the beach area, but with a different destination in mind: the Los Angeles temple. It was a breath-taking building and surrounded by beautiful landscaping. Inside, we walked through the Celestial Room to get to where Hillary and Brad would be sealed. Before the ceremony started, a woman came around offering tissues. I took one just because all the women were, but did not think I would need it at all. Wrong. I have participated in sealings for the dead before but this was the first live sealing I've witnessed and it deepened my desire to get married in the temple. It was a purely uplifting, sacred experience. I love how peaceful it is in the temple and that for the actual marriage covenant, you are in the House of the Lord and are focused on growing closer to Him. The promises of that covenant are inconceivable but fill your heart with longing to be worthy to qualify for those blessings and the deep happiness that comes from them.

My favorite part, though, was after the ordinance. The sealer had Brad and Hillary stand in front of the reflecting mirrors that show your image repeated for what seems like forever. Then, he asked each of their parents to stand on either side of them. Finally, he brought up the grandparents. Then he said, this is your picture, your family picture. This is what the gospel and Plan of Salvation are all about, this eternal happiness is what it's all about. At this point, my tissue was demolished and I was still sobbing. For some reason, this made my heart swell with love. Instead of seeing Hillary's family there, I saw my family and felt such an intense desire to be with them forever as I also start my own family branch. I am grateful that one day I will receive the blessing of getting married in the temple and working for a celestial marriage.

Because Allie needs more time to walk in her crutches, she and I were the last ones to walk out of the celestial room, which means we were the last ones to congratulate Hillary and Brad. When Hillary saw us last, she just commented 'How Appropriate' as we collapsed into each others' arms. And we stayed like that for a while, crying out of such profound joy that I can't accurately describe it. Later, when the wedding party was all gathered around the couple, taking pictures, one person made fun of the friends who think they are so important and close to the bride or groom that they need to be up close in the pictures. I didn't need to be up close but I did feel all day a special connection to Hillary that very few others there, had. I had been with her for years as we experienced heartbreak after heartbreak in dating. That bonds you. We were each other's support and that is why my feelings were so deep during her wedding.

In the temple that day I realized that this is one reason I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that it brings me deep, lasting happiness that nothing else can offer. I know it means love, pure love, and eternal blessings. This is why I believe.