Cleave

"...the uninvited enemy called death enters the stage of our mortal existence and snatches from our grasp a loving husband or precious wife and frequently, in the young exuberance of life, our children and grandchildren.  Death shows no mercy.  Death is no respecter of persons, but in its insidious way, it visits all.  At times, it is after long-suffering and is a blessing while in other instances, those int he prime of life are taken by its grasp" (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov 1994, 68).

This quote stood out while I was reading this talk because my great-grandmother recently passed on, and it was really a blessing because she was suffering for a while.  I've been focusing on the blessing part of it, but death is still death, so it's not an entirely happy blessing, if that even makes sense.

For now, I am very thankful that I am not a parent and I have not had the terrible experience of a child dying.  I am also so thankful that I have not lost any of my sisters or precious friends to the grave.  I'm grateful that my parents are all living and well.  I've seen people lose people they love, and I am not looking forward to the grief of losing any more of my loved ones.

I cannot imagine dealing with death if I didn't have the comfort of the gospel.  I cannot imagine how different I would be without knowing the plan of salvation.  What would I think the purpose of life is?  Would I be afraid of my own death?  How would I live and treat people if I didn't think there was something after this?  Would I still feel so strongly about family?  I'm not sure.  Just some questions that came up during my study.

Choose to Cleave.
*Read my first post, "Preface," for more information about Cleaving