25 years...

...of helping to make eternal families.


...and it all began with a call from President Hinckley. 

...................

Matthew had been in Dallas on a business trip and arrived back in Denver just in time to take the boys to Montana for a fishing trip.  I was headed to Kansas with the girls for some long needed face time with my mom and dad.

I don't remember the exact timing, but somehow President Hinckley's secretary called me and wanted to set up an appointment for Matthew to meet with President Hinckley in Salt Lake(that was a surreal phone call...not one you take lightly when you are LDS and the prophet's secretary calls to invite you to his office).  I called Matthew's dad and he went out onto the river to chase Matthew down. 

Mind you, this was 25 years ago and cell phones were something of the future still...so the closest place for Matthew to call President Hinckley's office in Salt Lake City was at the Blue Moon Saloon out in the middle of Nowhere, Montana.

 ...anyway, the phone call was made (I think he had to ask them to turn down the jukebox), and the appointment was arranged.  Matthew and I flew to Salt Lake together on the day we were to meet with the man that we reverence as much as Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Noah, etc., etc...I mean, he talks with God on a regular basis and God gives him instructions for us and then he tells us what we can do to become more like God...pretty cool.

We arrived at the office and the butterflies in our stomach quickly turned into a hornet's nest.  I remember his secretary telling us to go on in.  We stepped up to this massive, beautifully carved door and confidently...stopped...we both just stood there...like, really, just open the door and walk in.  She said, "Go on, he's expecting you"....again, we just stood there...eventually, I don't remember who, someone finally reached out and turned the knob, but it felt like we stood there for an eternity...then the door was open and we entered a very large office with him sitting behind a very large desk...he welcomed us and indicated we should sit in the chairs across from him.

As it turned out, Matthew was called to be the recorder of the still under construction, Denver Temple.  

However, there was more to that meeting than Matthew being asked if he was worthy and prepared for what was expected as temple recorder...it was somewhere toward the end of that discussion that President Hinckley suddenly grew quiet, looked up toward the ceiling behind us and then back at Matthew...(what's happening???  I remember thinking this is a little unusual, I mean meeting with President Hinckley was uncommon enough for us to be completely speechless, which is pretty amazing in and of itself, but the silence was deafening) then he looked back behind us again, briefly, before turning to Matthew and asking, "How old are you?"...Matthew, also sensing something unusual, was able to squeak out the words, "thirty three" then he cleared his throat(relax I thought, relax, breath)  "thirty three" he said again, with a little more force...

"I am to call you to be a temple sealer, as well as recorder.  That will make you the youngest sealer in the world,"  said President Hinckley.

...and so he was set apart by President Hinckley to work for the Lord in the House of the Lord...and Matthew has never looked back.  Most weeks he is in the temple 3-4 times.  It has required sacrifices of our family time and of Matthew's personal time...but the Lord always blesses those who give of their time so willingly.  Our children know he is gone a lot, but they can testify of the blessings it has brought to our family, the sweet spirit that abides in our home, which we believe to be a direct result of Matthew's sacrifice.

Today is the 25th anniversary of the phone call from the Blue Moon Saloon...and it has been a crazy adventure.  One that Matthew didn't see coming, but in looking back, it has been better than we could have imagined.

Matthew went camping with the Boy Scouts last night.  He came home early this morning and will spend the entire afternoon in the temple performing eternal marriages.  I know where he is and I know what he is doing.

It gives me joy.

Happy Anniversary, Matthew!

Love you more....