FHE at the temple

There was a rainbow at the temple while we were walking around the grounds.The Mesa Arizona Temple

We had a great family home evening tonight at the Mesa Arizona temple. Alan hadn't seen the new movie made by our church: Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration, so we took the kids and spent the evening at the visitors center on the grounds of the temple (this was after a fun barbeque with Alan's brother where we ate- Get ready now- DOVE, as in the bird, that Ryan and Alan hunted for and shot this morning. But that's a whole other story that I don't want to get into.) What an amazing job the film does of capturing glimpses of the prophets life. Alan and I were talking about what struck us the most about the movie. Alan thought it represented the personal sacrifice that Joseph gave more clearly then stories and films in the past have done. I was surprised at the way the film portrayed Joseph and Emma's relationship. Beginning at their courtship and her parent's disapproval of their union, all the way to when Emma watched as Joseph rode off to Carthidge jail, there was so much pain and tragedy laced with bits of humor and happy moments together. She was his rock, and he hers. It seems that Emma's role is often glanced over or entirely forgotten. Her sacrifices were so great. I don't know how she carried on after experiencing so much fear and loss. At the end of the film, the phrase "Shall we not go on for so great a cause?" comes up on the screen. I suppose that's how she went on- for her cause, their cause.
We finished up the night at Maggie Moo's. I love the expression on Alex's face- now that we live in Arizona he is constantly telling me how cold he is, because everywhere we go the a/c is on full blast. He was shivering after his cotton candy ice cream!