Life After Death

In my first piece for Rachel Harrie's latest Writing Campaign, I wrote about a girl who dreams of searching for her mother shortly after her mother's death.  Dealing with the death of a loved one is a difficult experience.  I imagine that contemplating your own death can also be a very difficult time.  Most of us do not know how long our life will last, or the lives of our loved ones.  During the last year or so I have been intrigued to read many accounts of people who have gone through a near-death experience, including one recent popular book, Heaven Is For Real.  The boy in this book is not of my faith, but I believe that his account of his experience is real and true.  Many people believe that there is life after death, as do I and other members of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I believe that we will once again be able to know and associate with our friends, family members and loved ones.  I believe that heaven is real, and a far better, more beautiful, glorious place than anywhere we can find in this world.   I also believe that after this life we will meet our Savior, Jesus Christ, and share with him, or account to him, about how well we have lived in this life and how we have treated others.  We will be pleased to report on the good we have done, and we will feel great remorse for the things we have knowingly done wrong or good that we have left undone.

For Behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God, yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
Alma 34:32, The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, pg 295

God has provided ways for us to be connected with our families after death.  Though all good men and women will be able to associate with one another after this life, those families who have received the sacred sealing ordinances found in the Lord's temples will be blessed with joyful marriage and family relationships in the life to come.

For more thoughts on Life after Death and Why Mormons Build Temples, you may want to check out these video clips:

Mormon Temples 
Why Mormons Build Temples