A Friend

A friend of ours passed away a few days ago, and since then I have been thinking of the miracle of life, how precious it is, and how fleeting. I suddenly want to hold my family closer, to say 'I love you" louder, to try to remember every little thing that makes them all precious to me. I look at those around me and wonder what life would be like without them there. What would it be like to not have children call me just to say hello, or to tell me about their day.
As these past two days have gone by and we have talked about this friend that is now gone, it almost seemed to be a dream. You know those kind of dreams where you know it is not real, but you just can't seem to wake up? Only waking up will make no difference. What a blessing the gospel of Jesus Christ is, and the knowledge that life does not end with this life. Years ago I heard a song, and for a long time the only words I could remember where "Earth is not our goal". Many times in the past I have had to hang on to that thought. Earth is not our goal, and what comes after will be glorious.