1 Corinthians 11:11
When the Lord speaks in Matthew 16:19 about giving the disciples "the keys of the kingdom of heaven," He explains that "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This means that, with the power given by God, we can have our families be together forever, not just separating after death.
The reason why I've been thinking about the doctrine of eternal families lately is because my grandpa on my mom's side passed away suddenly, one week ago today. He went into the hospital on Friday with pancreatitis and kept loosing kidney function. On Sunday, my siblings and I traveled up to see him in the hospital, and that evening he passed away.
His wife, my grandmother, passed away from complications due to a stroke two summers ago. She was definitely a force of nature, a loving and strong daughter of God who was really committed to her family. She had us play "Pomp and Circumstance" at her funeral. You can read more about her here, in a blog post my sister wrote.
I know that Grandpa has been lonely since his wife died, and that with minimal hearing and not being able to drive his car, it's been pretty hard for him to stick around. I am really grateful that his passing was so painless. With kidney failure you just fall asleep.
But I've never dealt with a sudden death before, and it was really hard to know that I won't see him for a while. It has been lovely this past week to be with my family, as all these cousins and all of my siblings and my parents and Grandpa's children congregated for his funeral and viewing and family time. I was grateful to see my dad's father at the viewing; he is a wonderful man and a wonderful example too, and I know my mom's dad and he really respected each other.
It was such a comfort to be able to grieve and to celebrate with my family, but it got me thinking about the talk I linked to at the beginning, that my roommate suggested I read. I was feeling kind of frustrated about his sudden passing, but I have been realizing in increments how blessed I am for the family I have and to know about the doctrine of eternal families! (I've been realizing that again; I feel like I'll keep relearning these important things until they are concretatized in my brain).
Eternal families are wonderful! I know that I will see my grandparents again and that when the time comes that I will have to say goodbye to other loved ones, it will NOT be forever! Families are an essential part of why we are here on this earth, and even when we are mourning the passing of those we love, we can have a surety that we are NOT saying goodbye to them forever. I am so grateful for that knowledge. I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, for making that possible, that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father and with our families forever. I love my family so, so much and I am so grateful for all that we do.
I am grateful also to know that we have a heavenly family, that the people who are feeling lonely are really not alone:
"All people who will ever live on earth are members of a human family and are eternal children of God, our loving Heavenly Father. After birth and tasting of death in mortality, all will be resurrected because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God the Father. Depending on our individual obedience to the laws, ordinances, and commandments of God, each mortal can have the blessing of attaining eternal life; that is, returning to live in the presence of their Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, having eternal increase for all the eternities to come. Through making and keeping the sacred covenants found in the temple ordinances, individuals can return to the presence of God and will be reunited with their families eternally." -Elder Hales
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