Magic, miracles, the universe, god hears you…? Seriously?! How is one to know; and does it even matter? Just give me what I want quick, whoever or whatever you are! 

My heart groaned all summer long as I watched the corn shrink and wither from drought. Every year before it grew, tall, green, and pristine. Not this year...  

Why? How can this be?  I spent years on the loveseat prototype and the symbolism it embodied. So many summers I drove by the beautiful fields which inspired the location for our branding video. We had so many lush seasons of growth, the thought never occurred to me there would be a drought?! Besides, I had aligned myself with magic, felt worthy of miracles, understood the power of the universe, and hoped God hears me.  

I saw the story so clearly in my mind I could touch it. Wasn’t this magic?  I felt completely aligned with the universe. I truly needed a miracle; but now it seemed doubtful God was hearing me? Every stalk of corn seemed to laugh at my idea.  In contrast, the piercing blue skies created a gorgeous distraction to the depressing reality. However, I wasn’t going to let the blue sky talk me out of what was possible; even though I knew the truth, rain falls on cloudy days. I need rain now and sunshine for the shoot, ugh! What a nasty trick the universe was playing on me! 

Gosh, what was I thinking? Why did I think I could actually do something so ginormous? The budget was maxed out and it looked like it was going to end up costing twice what I had calculated. Circumstances beyond my control force me to reschedule the shoot to the next week which landed during the Philadelphia Temple Open House. This meant my time was going to be divided and I would have to make up for it in some other way. ‘It's okay’, I told myself, ‘your great under pressure Vicki,’ not really convincing myself…. 

Mark invited several of his colleagues to the Temple open house and had every night committed to accompanying each group. Dinner at Hawthorne’s was planned prior to the open house one evening, which meant more time away from the production preparation. I tried to enjoy myself and ignore the nagging thoughts of failure I was feeling. The set was complicated and had to be carried piece by piece into the field and up to that point the only thing ready was the heart we had cut in the middle of the field.  

Flashes of dying corn paraded through my mind. This has become bigger than I felt I could manage. I said a silent prayer… ‘Dear Father in heaven, please refresh the corn with a little rain…’ 

Almost forgetting, I happily found myself with the others standing outside the temple in white booties we traded for our shoes. Gazing up and reading the inscription above the door, ‘House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord,’ we walked in.  

The architecture of the Philadelphia Temple, finishes, and furnishings were all accurate to the time period of the constitution; and the standard was superior to all code. An indelible impression confirmed this is a sacred, holy place.  

However, upon exiting the temple I was reminded once again of the reality pressing upon me. Startled, but not entirely surprised, I felt a tiny mist sprinkle my face. We hurried to our car in the night air to avoid the increasing rain.  

There was no doubt in my mind whether this was magic, miracles, the universe, or god hears you. My heart leaped as I felt the tears well up in my eyes to match the rain on my face. I knew, what I had tasted;  I felt pretty special on that drive home.