Delbi Blanco's Dream of Her Husband and the Temple Sealing That Healed the Family

Sister Reyna I. Aburto, who later served as First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, shared this account of her parents in the September 2020 Ensign. Her father, Noel Blanco, was born in Potosí, Nicaragua, the son of her grandmother Isabel, a faithful, hardworking woman who raised her three children alone. During his late teen years Noel developed an addiction to alcohol; though his love for his children was stronger than his weaknesses, the alcoholism took its toll on his marriage to Delbi, and after the couple moved to San Francisco, California, in their 50s they separated. He died by suicide a few years later. Reyna and her mother Delbi had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1989, a few years before Noel's death. Some years after he passed away, all of the vicacious temple ordinances were performed in his behalf except one: the sealing ordinance. Reyna did not dare ask her mother whether she wished to be sealed to him, knowing how strained their relationship had been. Then a miracle happened. Delbi had a dream in which she saw her husband Noel standing outside the kitchen door of their home in Managua, extending his hand to her and inviting her to come with him. She woke up with a sweet feeling in her heart. Not long afterward she called her daughter and calmly announced, "I am going to be sealed to your father this Saturday. You can come if you want." On a glorious Saturday morning, Delbi, her daughter, and her son-in-law knelt at a temple altar and performed the living and vicarious sealing ordinances that gave the parents and daughter the opportunity to be together forever, while Reyna's son served as proxy for her deceased brother. At that holy moment, all the pains and sorrows were forgotten, and the family felt what Sister Aburto called the soothing and healing balm the Savior offers through His Atonement, on both sides of the veil. Years later Reyna had a dream of her own: she saw her father at what seemed to be a pulpit in one of the meetinghouses, wearing a white shirt and tie, giving an inspiring message like a seasoned leader of the Church — giving her the hope that Noel had accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit world. Sister Aburto wrote that when she considers all that needed to happen for Noel and Isabel Blanco to receive that eternal gift, she realizes it was a miracle made possible by a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior whose temple ordinances bring spiritual healing to all of God's children on both sides of the veil.

Fuller account of this event (paraphrased from the cited modern source):

A woman initially avoided requesting a temple sealing for her deceased parents due to their difficult history. After experiencing a reconciliation dream, the mother decided to proceed with the ordinance. The daughter and her family subsequently participated in the ceremony to ensure the eternal union of their family.