No Tears in Heaven

A few days ago, I was listening to the radio and heard Eric Clapton's song "Tears in Heaven". The song starts...

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?

The song really struck me and it took me back a couple of months ago when I had the privilege of going to the temple. It was a ward temple night, so there would be many people there from my neighborhood that I know.  As I walked into the dressing room to change into my beautiful white clothing I came upon a group of women. They all turned and looked my way. Each of them was dressed in white. They saw me. They recognized me. All four of them smiled at me, waved, beckoned me to come to them and visit.

I realized in that instant that heaven will be this way. Someday I will die and this mortal existence will come to an end. I will pass through the veil, that barrier that keeps us from remembering where we came from. But I will pass through that veil and enter into a space where there will be heavenly beings. And these heavenly beings will be the people that I know. I will walk toward them and they will turn and look at me. They will smile and beckon me to them. At that moment in the temple dressing room, this image was so clear to me. The Holy Ghost testified to me of this truth. I am an eternal being. This earth life is but a moment. Soon I will return back to the place from where I first came and I will not be alone.

This is truth.

So, I wanted to answer Eric Clapton and tell him with the deepest conviction of my soul that YES! When we die, we will go to a heavenly place. And the relationships that we have here on this earth can and will continue in the next life. My name will be known. Eric's name will be known. And the family that I have here on earth will be the same in heaven. It will be exactly the same...only better.  I feel that it will be even more familiar and real than I can even imagine.

I am so grateful for temples and that they dot the earth and that I can live in the shadow of one. The temple is a beautiful, holy, sacred, happy, joyous place. I hope that my children will come to know this and do all that they can to go there when they are ready. It is worth every sacrifice to make it so. When I go to the temple, I can see even more clearly what heaven is...and it is magnificent!