As a single adult there are moments when I feel like “home” is a theoretical faraway place that singles don’t have. Let’s be honest, there are moments when I am in my college apartment with roommates or guests, and I feel like an outsider. In the same regard, there are moments when I visit my family where I haven’t lived for almost 8 years that I feel like a fish out of water. So at this stage in life I often find myself searching for that “homey” feeling.
Where can one find that feeling of home? Serving as a temple worker has given me the answer. As I sat and pondered this weekend what it is that I love so much about being there, I realized that I feel at home in the temple. This is a place where I feel like I belong. I feel genuine respect, kindness, and love from the other workers, and patrons as well. Inside the temple I feel at home with God.
When I come home to the temple I feel a sense of safety and security. Any fears and doubts I have seem to be set aside for a while. I don’t have to wonder if something bad will happen to me. I don’t feel like I have to put up a wall of defense with every person I talk to. In the temple I can let my guard down and know that everything will be alright.
When I come home to the temple I can be myself without feeling judgment from others. In an apartment with roommates you sometimes have different ideas about what is right or wrong. (Not the major things, but simple things like what you will do on Sunday). At home with my family there are moments when I feel unintentional (probably self-induced) inadequacy because of my single status, my current employment status, and the number of question marks that stand in my future. In the temple none of these things matter.
When I come home to the temple I feel joy and make lasting memories. Memories, I think, are one way that any home becomes a place we want to stay. At home with our families we have traditions and things that we all do together. For my family, we always play games, watch movies, and eat way too much food! With roommates you have inside jokes and quote walls. In the temple you make memories with the spirit of the Lord. You see those faithful saints who come every single week at the same time. You see people helping each other out if they can’t quite walk by themselves. You see husbands who love their wives, and wives who honor and respect their husbands.
When I come home to the temple I feel hope for the future. In the temple your purpose is clear. You learn what life is actually about from the very beginning when we lived with God, all the way to the end when we return to His presence. In my experience, purpose brings hope. When you understand what is actually expected of you, and how very much the Savior is helping you to reach your goals, you feel a sense of empowerment, that you can conquer anything that lies in your path.
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When I come home to the temple I feel the love of my family, both those in Heaven and those on Earth. In the temple as I ponder the lives of those who have gone before I feel them near. The lessons I learn about the Plan of Salvation fill me with hope and peace. The spirit brings me greater power and inspires me to think of ways to serve my current family, and even my future family.
With temples dotting the earth more all the time, “home” truly is available for everyone! My invitation this time through is to take advantage of the temple and the haven it provides. Go home to your Father’s house for just a few minutes and feel the love he has for you!
Ashley Dewey is extremely talented at being single. Hobbies include awkward conversations with members of the opposite sex, repelling third dates, talking to boys about their girl problems and to girls about their boy problems. In her spare time she also has a very fulfilling school life, work life, and social life.
Besides being a professional single, Ashley is also a BYU graduate with a degree in linguistics (Aka word nerd). She enjoys studying other languages, particularly American Sign Language, and finds most all of them fascinating. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
Ashley works most of the time and has often been accused of being a workaholic. Currently she works full time as a merchandiser and supervisor in a retail store, and part time doing social media work. On her day off she works (really it doesn't feel like work) in the Provo LDS temple. The only kind of work she finds difficulty focusing on is house work.
Her favorite activities in her free time are reading, writing, creating social experiments, and spending time with great friends and family. Specific activities with those family and friends include: going to concerts, plays, dance recitals, BYU basketball and football games, and watching sports on television.
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