I asked myself that question all of last week with the demise of my router that had died of "old age." I had it tested to discover why my access to the internet had slowly been degrading over the last several weeks. I use STARLINK as my provider, and they agreed through their interactive AI "consultant" who spoke perfect English with a lilting and cheerful voice that "she" would be happy to send me a replacement disk and router at no charge to me. It was a week in transit, and when I received it yesterday via FedEx I was up and running within minutes. Internet access has become "plug and play."
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| Lindon Temple |
During my week of internet exile, I was able to fill in the downtime by attending several temples nearby in Utah. One day I had a "double-header" with an endowment session for two twin granddaughters in the Mount Timpanogos Temple as they prepare to leave on their missions. Then the next day one of their sisters was sealed in the new Lindon Temple.
Another day I was headed up north for the live endowment of a grandson, also preparing for his mission to Brazil later this summer. Along the way with ample time to spare I took in an initiatory and endowment session in the Brigham City Temple, then caught a bite to eat before moving on to Logan for the session with my grandson in the Logan Temple. It was a long day, to be sure, and I arrived home after 10:30 p.m. filled with the fulfillment that can only come in participating with beloved family members.
The good brother who was supervising the initiatory ordinances in Brigham City Temple asked me if I were related the Goates family that lives in the Woodland Ward. I was stunned! I replied, "Well, yes I am. That's me!" His daughter lives in our ward, and she had been talking about our family with him for years. No matter how large the Church becomes there seems to be no end of obscure but meaningful connections among us. We are still personal in all our relationships.
Wednesday of last week was also filled with a drop-in endowment session in the Bountiful Temple, because I couldn't make a reservation without my internet access. I realized just how helpless I was when I couldn't even print a family name slip for any of my outings last week.
I live alone in my "now-it's-way-too-big" home. With access to the internet I am playing background music continually from my Apple Music library. Without the internet I am listening to nothing but the sounds of silence, and my loneliness is compounded.
I am also connected through the worldwide community of "X" (formerly Twitter), which was absent from my life last week. Increasingly the members of the Church are connecting through that medium, and I am grateful to have discovered that population ever since Elon Musk, its creator, has cleaned it up for a more meaningful experience for all participants.
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| Logan Temple |
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| Brigham City Temple |
I will be the first to raise my hand in favor of the internet in my life. I will also admit to my dependency upon it these days. Even a week without it brought immeasurable joy as I picked up my delivery yesterday from FedEx and installed my new components to restore my access.
