Dear Family and Loved Ones,
The past week was so wonderful that I have had a hard time sitting down to write our weekly letter, I’m sure I will never be able to do it justice so I have put it off until now. I need to at least attempt to document the special family events that have taken place since our last letter.
Monday we traveled south to Lake Forrest for a wonderful wedding dinner at a great little Hawaiian grill. The restaurant closed for a couple of hours and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was so great to have many family members and a few of Shelly’s friends who had traveled from near and far to support Ian and Shelly gather to eat delicious food and visit. What a great blessing it was to spend time together and to get acquainted with Ian’s family.
Monday we also made last minute preparations for the family wedding celebration which was held at the mission home. Some of our talented friends helped us make Ian and Shelly’s plans a reality. We were able to borrow most of what we needed for the open house and Shelly ordered flowers and treats.
Tuesday we gathered at the Newport Beach Temple for Ian and Shelly’s sealing. There really aren’t any words to describe the holy feeling of being in the holy temple to witness the sacred sealing ordinance. It is always a wonderful occasion but to see the joy in Shelly’s face was beyond thrilling. The sealer, President Borquist (the former temple president) has become a good friend to our family. It was comforting to have someone so familiar perform the sealing since we all knew we would really be missing my Dad. This was the first family sealing that my Dad didn’t perform since Ted and I were sealed nearly thirty-two years ago. There was no doubt that he was amongst the angels in the room there to witness Ian and Shelly’s marriage. Many of the words that were spoken reminded me of advice he would have given.
One of the very special moments in the temple took place after Ian and Shelly’s wedding. President Borquist had the immediate family stay behind, stand behind the altar and look into the mirrors that face each other. We could see our families extending on and on. He said every family has someone they are worried about but we should never, ever give up on them. He reminded us of the goal of having “no empty chairs” in heaven. It was a beautiful moment!
The weather was perfect so we all enjoyed waiting on the beautiful temple grounds for Ian and Shelly to emerge as a married couple. After taking photographs with family and friends they were able to go to a nearby beach to take a few more photos.
The family celebration at the mission home was a great success thanks to the help of everyone who decorated, organized the treats and worked in the kitchen. We could not have done it without so many helping hands! Thank you!
Ian and Shelly spent a few days in San Diego for their honeymoon and are settling into their new apartment in Rancho Santa Margarita. We saw them for a few minutes Saturday and they were doing great.
Ted’s phone continued to ring throughout the week and he took care of many missionary needs but we were all so grateful that he was able to take part in this wonderful event.
I got some much needed Grandma time with Pearl and Violet. They loved the beautiful Southern California weather and being able to be outside at the park and beach. I loved spending time with ALL of our family who were here for the wedding!
Ted’s sister Peggy summed up my feelings about this week. While we were waiting for Ian and Shelly to exit the temple I was overwhelmed with appreciation for all of the many family members who had traveled great distances at considerable expense to support our family. I tried to tell Peggy how much it meant to have her there and she responded, “This is what life is all about, family!” I couldn’t agree more.
President Uchtdorf taught: “Perhaps the most universal regret dying patients expressed was that they wished they had spent more time with the people they love. Let us resolve to cherish those we love by spending meaningful time with them, doing things together, and cultivating treasured memories.”
We were so blessed this past week to make some treasured memories both in the mission and with our family!
May God bless each of you!
Love,
The Long Beach Buberts
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