Home as Temple

Quite a few years ago, as a young mother I studied about how homes should be like Temples. I thought and thought...then I went out and bought silk flowers! I wish I were kidding. That wasn't the only change I made in my home, but to this day it still makes me laugh. Yesterday's conference talk renewed my desire to make my home more like a temple. I'm not planning on going silk flower shopping this time, but I am working on plans...

1-the spirit- I need to carefully and prayerfully invite the spirit into my home. I need to keep it there with my thoughts and actions. I need to inspire my children to preserve the spirit of our home. I need to monitor the media in our home, so that it invites the spirit.

2-welcoming-In the temple there are welcoming people smiling everywhere. Helpful people, friendly people, gentle people; I would like to be like that and encourage my children to be the same.

3-order-I had to get to it some time...the temple is orderly. It is clean and keeps a schedule. Most of all it is simple. There are very few things in the temple. There are useful things (chairs and tables and such) carefully placed, and there are beautiful things...that's it. I want to simplify my home...cut out clutter. Order takes effort and discipline.

4-love-There is a high standard associated with the temple. There are requirements to enter, then a certain way things are done inside. All of this is encourage and supported by wonderfully cute grandparents. These kind older people set you up to succeed.

As much as I laugh about those silk flowers from long ago, they still remind me of the temple...they stay in my home for no other reason!