The Sabbath in Salt Lake City Utah

LDS Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Woke up this morning to a beautiful HOT Sabbath morning. My son, Seth; his wife, Meg; my daughter, Liz; and Kevan and I decided to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast this morning as the last time we went was right before leaving for Connecticut. So we left Kink's condo (my father-in-law) to walk over to Temple Square.


What a wonderful treat to live so close that it is just a short walk. The Choir has recently returned to performing in the Tabernacle, so we headed there but saw everyone crossing the street and entering the Conference Center where the Choir performed while the Tabernacle was being renovated. So, into the Conference Center we went along with about 3000 other souls.

Tabernacle

Conference Center

Inside the Conference Center

It was a beautiful performance, as always, and when the Choir sang its traditional postlude, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again," I totally lost it for a moment thinking of the friends and family I am leaving so far behind. But in the same moment, I thought of all the wonderful new friends awaiting my arrival and the opportunities I will have to serve the people of Tinian. Besides, this is not the dark ages! With the internet and all the wonderful tools it provides for keeping us close, it is not nearly as traumatic as it was even 15 years ago. My parents lived in Mongolia and Hong Kong in the late '90s and even in Mongolia, they had internet access and so we ICQed often. Now, with Skype, we find ourselves talking more often than when we live close to each other. Must be something about making the effort because of the distance.

This afternoon, we attended our old congregation and enjoyed seeing many old friends. We hadn't told people we were coming, so a great and wonderful surprise was had by all. There is truly something to be said for relationships that endure time and distance . . . and the ability to begin a conversation in mid-sentence as if you had never been gone. I realized how much I missed everyone but also how honored I am to have the opportunity to move to CNMI where I will make new friends and enduring relationships. We leave for Tinian on Wednesday morning, and I can hardly wait!