If you ever get the chance to visit Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, take it! The beautiful gardens and the peaceful spirit there are an experience not to be missed. 

I found this note I had written in my scriptures back in 2015, but I had surgery yesterday (I’ll do a post about that in a day or two), so I’m still in tired recovery mode. Anyway, this note has me asking myself if there are things – aspects and practices of faith – that I tend to think of as old or outdated that maybe I should consider adding or addressing in my personal practices. 

Note from 2015:

I had a good conversation with Mr. Hot Stuff about why Nephi would be praying on his tower so loudly that everyone could hear him. I just had a hard time wrapping my brain around this and the conversation helped me understand that he was likely so caught up in his prayer that he didn’t realize he was being so loud. It kind of reminds me of the time when one of my kids (at the age of 4) saw a “real” cowboy (it was his actual livelihood) and she went up and asked him if he was a real cowboy. He smiled and told her yes, and then looked at us and said, “It used to not be a novelty.” I kind of wonder if part of what caught the attention of the Nephites at this time was that they heard a person praying and it was a novelty to them.

Helaman 7 “10 And behold, now it came to pass that it was upon a tower, which was in the garden of Nephi, which was by the highway which led to the chief market, which was in the city of Zarahemla; therefore, Nephi had bowed himself upon the tower which was in his garden, which tower was also near unto the garden gate by which led the highway. 11 And it came to pass that there were certain men passing by and saw Nephi as he was pouring out his soul unto God upon the tower; and they ran and told the people what they had seen, and the people came together in multitudes that they might know the cause of so great mourning for the wickedness of the people.”

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/hel/7?verse=10-11&lang=eng#p10