CLEVELAND OHIO TEMPLE
My adventure to the Cleveland Ohio Temple starts with Southwest Airlines where I was able to buy one-way tickets for $59 each way! I’m at BWI Airport right now getting ready for the flight. I will fly out this afternoon and return in less than 24 hours.
I’ve spent the last two days in bed, recovering from rolling my left ankle at work on Thursday morning. I worked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and was delighted to skip church on Sunday and have Labor Day yesterday where I rested my ankle. The temptation to rest another day and a half was strong, but I decided to keep my temple appointment instead.
I purchased a walk along cane at CVS this morning for $30 and it will be a big help to me not only getting around but it will give me priority status for boarding the plane! I will be attending the 7 PM session tonight in Cleveland then just go back to the airport and sleep there until my 6 AM flight tomorrow morning. With that quick of a turnaround, it’s just not worth getting a hotel!
I’m having lunch at the Silver Diner at BWI airport. I’ve only eaten steamed rice and carrots the last couple of days and I’m losing weight so I’ve decided to stay on a vegetable/fruit/water diet for a while and see what happens.
Yum! The salad was delicious! 😋 The flight was quick, only about 45 minutes to Cleveland! When I got there, I checked out Uber for the cost for the 14 mile ride to the temple in Independence, Ohio. It was $60. I then checked Lyft and it was only $33. I took Lyft!
Once at the temple, I waited next to the initiator area where they have two small rooms or booths to handle that plus one other function at the temple. They can be interchanged back-and-forth.
I mentioned my friend Thayne Allred, my ninth grade Buddy, who lives about 30 minutes south of the temple. I learned that he is a temple worker! He is coming back from Hungary with his wife and will not be back until the ninth. So sad I missed him, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. They had lots of great things to say about Thayne Allred.
The temple is small, but beautiful! The flowers are also beautiful as always.
An interesting thing happened during the temple session. See my pinky finger on my right hand in the shot above? It’s swollen. Very sore and I don’t know why. During the session it loosened up and became mobile, which was very helpful. I’d like to think it was partially healed while I was sitting there. I was grateful for it! 🙏
After the session, four sister missionaries came walking out of the temple. One was from Saratoga Springs, Utah, the other from Orem, Utah, the third one from Indianapolis, Indiana, and the fourth one from Nampa Idaho. The Nampa, Idaho sister took my photo outside the temple. I told her I’m a ward mission leader from Washington DC and that I visit temples around the world. They thought that was cool on both parts!
Once the photo was taken, I contacted Lyft and got a ride back to the airport for $28! I’m now sitting in the airport at about 10:30 PM sleeping on a four seat section of chair a few gates away from my departing gate. Beats sleeping on the floor!
The Cleveland Ohio Temple is the 221st dedicated temple in operation. It was announced in 2022 and was dedicated just three weeks ago on August 16 by Elder David A. Bednar. It is only 28 miles southeast of the Kirtland Temple. It must be a great feeling for the Saints in this area to once again have an operating temple in the Kirtland area!
A quick shout out to Shake Shack at the Cleveland airport too! They were the only place still open when I got here so I went for the bacon chicken avocado sandwich with the wrinkly fries and a strawberry lemonade. It was so good!
