That is very nice. Yes, merit is the perfect word to describe your visit to the temple and receive blessings.
How many borthers and sisters do you have? How old is your son?
I have 1 older brother who lives in Florida with his family and takes care of our mother. I also have 1 older sister. She lives in Washington DC and works for the US Government.
Florida is 1500 miles south of New York. Flying time is over 2 hours. My sister is only 300 miles and I can take a train to visit there. It is only 4 hour train ride.