Some of these beautiful altar coverings are not crocheted. They are tatted, a beautiful art that is, unfortunately, rapidly disappearing. The symbolism still applies.
Alesia MeyersNovember 24, 2017
What was said about the lovely temple altar cloths was beautiful. My husband and I have been attending a monthly temple sealing "group" once a month for about a year. One evening while kneeling at the altar and waiting to act as proxy, I also began to contemplate the purpose of the the beautifully designed cloths. Perhaps because of ordinance that we would be performing and had done many time, the thought came to me that each design added to another design was creating something beautiful in the same way and that we were joining families together forever one at a time. We were also creating something wonderful and beautiful! That's what I think of when I kneel at the altar in the sealing room.
John GlassNovember 4, 2017
The article gave me a better insight into the symbolism of the altar cloths and therefore greater spiritual knowledge. Thankyou.
Carl CoxNovember 2, 2017
A person who is living worthy of a temple recommend can go to the temple immediately after death. Those who are not worthy at death must wait a year before going.
Our Loving Father in Heaven has many ways of providing comfort to those in pain. Thanks for sharing how his love helped you.
DNovember 2, 2017
For those asking about the timing, you can receive special permission to do the work for faithful members before the one year mark. It was a great comfort for us to do the work for our 19-year-old son 3 days after his death. He had lived with severe special needs and was unable in life to go to the temple through no fault of his own.
Jo Ann OkelberryNovember 1, 2017
I cried all the way through this very sweet and touching article. God bless you for writing this.
Rita MillerOctober 30, 2017
Unfortunately, the altar cloths are going away. My temple in San Antonio, removed them several months ago, and our temple president said that all the temples will remove them. Apparently, they take too much time to wash, block and dry. Some temples might retain them, but, for me at least, I'm left looking at bare and naked altars, which has its own symbolism, I guess.
Becky BurtonOctober 29, 2017
Beautiful .So beautiful.Thank you.
KenyonOctober 29, 2017
Very consoling, and applicable to me as I am trying to console my brother whose wife is nearing death. Both are/were Temple Ordinance workers for many years. Thank you.
Roxanne GOctober 29, 2017
I will never look at those coverings the same way again. Thank you.
Angela RockwoodOctober 29, 2017
We share some things in common. I lost a daughter to SIDS. Each of the laces at the temple has a story of sacrifice woven in the fibers. My daughter’s story, my story, your story– our pain, our healing….and Heaven’s hand working in all of it. The Lord is the great playwright. I’m thankful to be a part of his work. I’m so glad that the testimonies borne in thread touch your heart as they do mine.
-Angela Rockwood, ldslacemaker.com
LoneyOctober 28, 2017
My husband and I attended the temple, much like you, to seek comfort after our daughter left the church. It was heartbreaking and we needed to feel peace and comfort. We too were asked to be the witness couple and I could not stop the tears! That day, my Heavenly Father spoke to my heart that she was His first and He loves her and that we just need to keep praying and have faith in His Son. I’m good with that! Thank you for your message, it was so inspirational.
Phil HowesOctober 28, 2017
Great article, and I love the symbolism, but did you not mean one year after, that you did the proxy endowment?
Carol HatchOctober 27, 2017
Melissa, this is beautiful and I agree with the four previous comments. Mourning with those that mourn has always frightened me; I’m so afraid to say or do the wrong thing, or just be in the way. You have shared a type and a standard to be followed with prayer and sensitivity. You are wise beyond your years. Thank you you for sharing this.
Lori LabrumOctober 27, 2017
I am blessed with the talent of crocheting, passed on to me from my mother, who got it from her mother....back unknown generations. I was humbled when asked to crochet altar cloths for the Manti Temple. It is a beautiful experience to create a piece worthy to cover an altar in that beautiful temple. I hope to be able to make many more.
Ted DavenportOctober 27, 2017
Thank you Melissa. I shared in your grief with sympathy the last time we met. Now I share in your grief with empathy, having begun my own grieving journey for the rest of my life.
Gerald FaerberOctober 27, 2017
I don't understand how you can do endowment one week after death. Normally you need to wait a year.
Kailey LarsenOctober 27, 2017
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your insights. My good friend recently lost her son to deep depression and suicide. It has been amazing to watch the community come to mourn with her do their best to comfort her and her family.
karell BinghamOctober 27, 2017
Beautifully and tenderly written! Thank you! I will know better now how to approach someone who is grieving!
Rebecca EvansOctober 27, 2017
Thank you for sharing your insights, it increased my understanding.
Marie BarnhurstOctober 27, 2017
Thank you for sharing this. It truly touched my heart as I remembered the pain and extreme grief at the death of our son in a horrible traffic accident. We must learn more clearly how to bind ourselves to each other as we learn to love as the Savior loves. Grief is never over, and we must be more tender and patient with each other as we all face our trials and afflictions in this life.
CindyOctober 27, 2017
I loved your symbolism of the crocheted coverings of the temple. It fits so well with the image I have seen recently of the Family History work I have been doing. I began this work thinking I was doing MY family's work. The further away I moved from my immediate ancestors, the more I started to wonder if this was really my work to do, if I was interfering in somebody else's family. Then one of the workers at our local family history center said that Family Tree is all one tree. And then I saw it. I saw all of us working on family history as people crocheting, each on a different place of a large table cloth, each of us filling in the gaps with our stitching making one complete family, linking all together.
Comments | Return to Story
AnnNovember 28, 2017
Some of these beautiful altar coverings are not crocheted. They are tatted, a beautiful art that is, unfortunately, rapidly disappearing. The symbolism still applies.
Alesia MeyersNovember 24, 2017
What was said about the lovely temple altar cloths was beautiful. My husband and I have been attending a monthly temple sealing "group" once a month for about a year. One evening while kneeling at the altar and waiting to act as proxy, I also began to contemplate the purpose of the the beautifully designed cloths. Perhaps because of ordinance that we would be performing and had done many time, the thought came to me that each design added to another design was creating something beautiful in the same way and that we were joining families together forever one at a time. We were also creating something wonderful and beautiful! That's what I think of when I kneel at the altar in the sealing room.
John GlassNovember 4, 2017
The article gave me a better insight into the symbolism of the altar cloths and therefore greater spiritual knowledge. Thankyou.
Carl CoxNovember 2, 2017
A person who is living worthy of a temple recommend can go to the temple immediately after death. Those who are not worthy at death must wait a year before going. Our Loving Father in Heaven has many ways of providing comfort to those in pain. Thanks for sharing how his love helped you.
DNovember 2, 2017
For those asking about the timing, you can receive special permission to do the work for faithful members before the one year mark. It was a great comfort for us to do the work for our 19-year-old son 3 days after his death. He had lived with severe special needs and was unable in life to go to the temple through no fault of his own.
Jo Ann OkelberryNovember 1, 2017
I cried all the way through this very sweet and touching article. God bless you for writing this.
Rita MillerOctober 30, 2017
Unfortunately, the altar cloths are going away. My temple in San Antonio, removed them several months ago, and our temple president said that all the temples will remove them. Apparently, they take too much time to wash, block and dry. Some temples might retain them, but, for me at least, I'm left looking at bare and naked altars, which has its own symbolism, I guess.
Becky BurtonOctober 29, 2017
Beautiful .So beautiful.Thank you.
KenyonOctober 29, 2017
Very consoling, and applicable to me as I am trying to console my brother whose wife is nearing death. Both are/were Temple Ordinance workers for many years. Thank you.
Roxanne GOctober 29, 2017
I will never look at those coverings the same way again. Thank you.
Angela RockwoodOctober 29, 2017
We share some things in common. I lost a daughter to SIDS. Each of the laces at the temple has a story of sacrifice woven in the fibers. My daughter’s story, my story, your story– our pain, our healing….and Heaven’s hand working in all of it. The Lord is the great playwright. I’m thankful to be a part of his work. I’m so glad that the testimonies borne in thread touch your heart as they do mine. -Angela Rockwood, ldslacemaker.com
LoneyOctober 28, 2017
My husband and I attended the temple, much like you, to seek comfort after our daughter left the church. It was heartbreaking and we needed to feel peace and comfort. We too were asked to be the witness couple and I could not stop the tears! That day, my Heavenly Father spoke to my heart that she was His first and He loves her and that we just need to keep praying and have faith in His Son. I’m good with that! Thank you for your message, it was so inspirational.
Phil HowesOctober 28, 2017
Great article, and I love the symbolism, but did you not mean one year after, that you did the proxy endowment?
Carol HatchOctober 27, 2017
Melissa, this is beautiful and I agree with the four previous comments. Mourning with those that mourn has always frightened me; I’m so afraid to say or do the wrong thing, or just be in the way. You have shared a type and a standard to be followed with prayer and sensitivity. You are wise beyond your years. Thank you you for sharing this.
Lori LabrumOctober 27, 2017
I am blessed with the talent of crocheting, passed on to me from my mother, who got it from her mother....back unknown generations. I was humbled when asked to crochet altar cloths for the Manti Temple. It is a beautiful experience to create a piece worthy to cover an altar in that beautiful temple. I hope to be able to make many more.
Ted DavenportOctober 27, 2017
Thank you Melissa. I shared in your grief with sympathy the last time we met. Now I share in your grief with empathy, having begun my own grieving journey for the rest of my life.
Gerald FaerberOctober 27, 2017
I don't understand how you can do endowment one week after death. Normally you need to wait a year.
Kailey LarsenOctober 27, 2017
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your insights. My good friend recently lost her son to deep depression and suicide. It has been amazing to watch the community come to mourn with her do their best to comfort her and her family.
karell BinghamOctober 27, 2017
Beautifully and tenderly written! Thank you! I will know better now how to approach someone who is grieving!
Rebecca EvansOctober 27, 2017
Thank you for sharing your insights, it increased my understanding.
Marie BarnhurstOctober 27, 2017
Thank you for sharing this. It truly touched my heart as I remembered the pain and extreme grief at the death of our son in a horrible traffic accident. We must learn more clearly how to bind ourselves to each other as we learn to love as the Savior loves. Grief is never over, and we must be more tender and patient with each other as we all face our trials and afflictions in this life.
CindyOctober 27, 2017
I loved your symbolism of the crocheted coverings of the temple. It fits so well with the image I have seen recently of the Family History work I have been doing. I began this work thinking I was doing MY family's work. The further away I moved from my immediate ancestors, the more I started to wonder if this was really my work to do, if I was interfering in somebody else's family. Then one of the workers at our local family history center said that Family Tree is all one tree. And then I saw it. I saw all of us working on family history as people crocheting, each on a different place of a large table cloth, each of us filling in the gaps with our stitching making one complete family, linking all together.
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