Everlasting Beginnings

I have to be honest here. I hate goodbyes because I love people. Today I said goodbye to my institute class and it was actually really a sad moment for me. Another one of those goodbye where your heart just aches and you don't know why. In this moment I was reminded of what is quite possibly my favorite excerpt of modern scripture ever. Its from President Dieter F Uchtdorf, who is the second counselor in the Presidency of the Church. He gave a talk called "Grateful in Any Circumstance" last April. Here's what he says:

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings.

May we “live in thanksgiving daily”—especially during the seemingly unexplainable endings that are part of mortality. May we allow our souls to expand in thankfulness toward our merciful Heavenly Father. May we ever and constantly raise our voices and show by word and deed our gratitude to our Father in Heaven and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. For this I pray, and leave you my testimony and blessing, in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ, amen."

We are eternal beings. Do you understand that? We hate endings because they are not in our nature. We are not made to say goodbye to our dearest friends and favorite teachers. We are eternal, and that means that someday when all is right, we will enter God's Kingdom again-- as a family, to go no more out. To never leave each other ever again. That's what I try to remember, when I start packing my things and cleaning out my room and saying goodbye to people who have changed my life. I try to remember that in the eternal scheme of things, we are not saying goodbye for very long. "They are merely interruptions-- temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful." Someday we will meet each other again, though it may not be in mortality. It's okay to move forward, because these ties will not disappear. "