Families are forever!

You saw pictures of step one, in the adoption process of Julianna and Phillips darling toddler son.

Next step happened Friday night...sealed at the Temple!  It was just beautiful to behold.  I counted it a privilege to be there being as how I'm not kin, so to speak.  Sometimes being sisters in the Gospel makes you kin-folk.  Our Temple is small and has limited seating in the sealing rooms.  We were in the larger of the two and it was filled up.  Well, I think it was.  It was such an emotional event but it seemed full to me.

Julianna's friend, Cheryl, brought Timothy into the room and she looked like an angel carrying an angel, with both of them dressed in white.  Timothy was fascinated with the chandelier, the mirrors, all the people and very happy to see his parents.  One of my absolutely most favorite moments was when the parents were holding hands at the altar, and Timothy's hand was holding theirs and he leaned into his Dad and pressed his head against his Dads forehead as the sealer was speaking.  it made me teary.

Saturday was party time and family and friends from Ward & work- those from hither, thither and yon did a big meet and eat and greet and celebrated such happiness and then Sunday...a blessing at Church...a beautiful inspired blessing was pronounced on this little guy!

It was just a bit of heaven to see the events unfold one after the other and to be an attendee happy spectator. 

I have some pictures from Temple night.  they aren't award winners on focus but you can see it anyhow and maybe share the joy.

A love story....

A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to see a wonderful couple finalize the legality of their adoption of their foster son.  He had been with them since he was 5 days old and is now over a year.  Many of us had prayed for this day and had seen the heartache and trials at times that they have endured in this quest.  They are a couple that makes the word family a wonderful word to actually see in real life.

They had never put a picture of his face on FB until that court date. They had not shared with anyone what his name would be.  When the judge asked them...what is his name?  They said... His name is Timothy Hyrum Iverson.

I loved that part of the proceedings.  Both Julianna and Phillip are fluent in ASL and when that brief interchange happened with the judge, I thought of Elizabeth and Zacharias and the naming of their son...

Luke 1:62-63
 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

 63 And he asked for a ^awriting table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

I also thought about Timothy of the NT and the love and tenderness of Paul's tutoring him.

1 Tim 4:12
12 Let no man ^adespise thy youth; but be thou an^bexample of the believers, in word, in ^cconversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in ^dpurity.

Next comes the Temple sealing and the big family party with lots of out of towners coming for the celebration and then his name and blessing.  Sharing this journey, as our Ward has been privy to do, has been exhilarating and inspiring!!  a privilege for sure!!

I love the pictures they put on FB.  following those are a couple of pictures I took. Enjoy!

The countdown started with this picture that had been posted for quite a while and even posted morning of...

Isn't that so cute/sweet/clever/tender the way they did that??

After things were all done.

None of the 4 above are my pictures and now I post mine and they are easily recognizable as mine!