Temple Withdrawals-Celebrating The 100 Temple Milestone

36 days ago was the last day I entered the temple.  That’s the longest span of time I’ve gone without attending the temple since I returned home from my mission in 1993.  I feel the impact of not being able to “plug in” to the temple, but also feel gratitude for having had temples so available during my adult life.

I received my endowment 5 May 1992 in the Dallas Texas Temple in preparation for my mission beginning July 1.  By June, mom and I had roadtripped to a cousin’s wedding in Idaho and visited several temples along the way. I loved the varying personalities of each temple.  I decided on that trip I wanted to go to every temple in the world.  At the time there were 49 temples and it still seemed like a lofty goal.

As the number of temples grew, I worked as a software trainer for several years.  I traveled the country from coast to coast.  After a workday of setting up and training folks on our software system, I would drive however long it took to attend a temple I hadn’t been to before.  My mom and various sisters and I took roadtrips making big loops around the country and into Canada to visit temples I hadn’t attended.  My family went to Mexico and some of us went to temples I hadn’t been to before.  At one point, I’d been to every dedicated continental US and Canadian temple along with every temple in some other countries, too.

Adding to My Every Temple Goal

In February 2020, I had a Saturday training class scheduled in Atlanta, Georgia.  I’d been to the Atlanta temple years ago, but Fort Lauderdale was built after I’d moved to Hawaii. With a little planning, the Fort Lauderdale Temple could be my 100th temple!

I left Honolulu midafternoon on Thursday and flew overnight to Atlanta arriving at 7:00 AM.  I caught a 9:00 AM flight to Fort Lauderdale.  I prefer to drive myself, but every second counted. While planning the trip, Anthony suggested I check Uber. The estimated Uber ride to and from the temple was cheaper than the rental car and would take less time! I took Uber for the 30-minute ride to the temple and back.

The skies in Fort Lauderdale were cloudy and gray, accentuating the awesome limestone colors of the temple’s exterior.  I walked in and started scanning everything. I love seeing holy patterns on the ceiling, floor, and walls.

As I walked through the grand hallway behind the recommend desk, a tall, stately man strode towards me.  He stopped right in front of me, took both of my hands in his and welcomed me to the temple. He said he could tell I was celebrating something, happiness exuded from me.  I told him Fort Lauderdale Temple was my 100th temple on my quest and such a significant number to me and I was so happy. He celebrated with me and wished me well.

Time flew and soon I was summoning my Uber back to the airport to catch my flight back to Atlanta. I arrived at my hotel at 9;00 PM with enough time to prepare and sleep for my training the next morning.

I was so happy about that trip! I’ve been an opportunist to attend every temple I can and to attend a temple as often as I can.

So today as I miss entering the doors and breathing that temple air and learning there, I celebrate the milestone of 100 temples visited and look forward to many more.

Every Temple I’ve Visited