Eternal

In Relief Society today, the lesson was on our roots, and how we can feel connected to our ancestors and those who have passed away maybe a little more recently. It made me think of my grandparents. I never had the opportunity to meet most of them. My paternal grandfather passed when my dad was seven, and my mom parents died a few weeks before she and my dad got married. I've only ever known my Grandma on this earth, and I am lucky enough to be very close to her, but I've often wondered what it would be like to have all my grandparents around. Or at least to have known them for a little while.

And then I realized I do know my grandparents, my maternal grandparents especially. My mom has always told us about them, and when the whole Davis clan gets together, the siblings talk about them, tell us stories, and just make them alive for us. I know that my grandma loved to read (Anne of Green Gables especially), loved to travel, and wanted a redhead. I've always felt connected to her because those are attributes that I have; I love to read, love to travel, and, well, I am a redhead. I know that my mom looks exactly like her mom, and that my brother looks just like our mom. Those are things that connect our family and let my brothers, cousins, and I know who we are and what our lineage is. My parents have done the temple work for their respective parents years ago; long before I was born, and so I have always been sealed to them for eternity. When Kevin and I got married, I know that my grandparents were there in the sealing room with us and a part of that moment. I felt them and their love for me, even though we've never met on this earth. They know me, and who I am.

The temple is where generations can come together on this earth. I know that my family is eternal and that I will have the opportunity to know my grandparents fully. I am grateful for the knowledge that our families are eternal and that we can be with them forever. Death is not the end of our relationships; they have the ability to transcend the realms of death and time. I am grateful for that knowledge and the power of the resurrection and atonement. It is a comforting testimony.