Tamrajh,

I was reading your comment and subscribed to LDS.net just so I could respond.

We all have those thoughts of "I'm ready to be done" from time to time. Heaven knows I've had my share. But I think it can be a dangerous road to travel if we stay there too long.

My parents died in a car crash when I was 9. They came to the end of their mortal existence very abruptly. Perhaps there were times that they said they wish they could be done here, who knows? I do know that their absence left some gaping holes in the lives of other people (not the least of which was their 5 children). There have been days I have longed to hear about their lives, their experiences, to feel their nurturing love. Yes, not having them here has made me stronger as a person, but it's not something I'd wish on someone else. When the thoughts of "I wish it were done now" come to my head, I think of my 4 children (as well as others in my life), and think of how precious they are, and how much they need me here to love and guide them. I then try to go create an experience that will give them that assurance that they are indeed loved. Surely there are many in your life who need and love to be with you. I hope that you can realize this and turn it into some sort of action to build your relationships with them. After all, it could be gone in a heart beat.

Secondly, I think sometimes we assume a lot about the afterworld. We assume that our trials are over and that we reach the end of the line... knocking on judgment's door. That we can rest from our cares and just go play around, catching up with others that have gone before us. I'm of the belief that there will be many, many unanswered questions in the next life, and that it will be even harder to find answers. As it says in Alma:

"...for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."

If we were given all the answers directly after this life, then our agency would be gone, and that's not how the plan works (according to my understanding). I look at it this way... let's say that the premortal life was like reading up on how to play basketball. We may have learned the rules, and what the game was about but didn't get to play. Then we come to earth (forgetting much of what we learned before) and it's GAME ON! We're playing, and fouling and getting tired, and having fun and experiencing what it's all about. After this life it's back to the books. Yes, we can remember what we did here, but the game is over. How much more experience do you gain by actually playing than by reading about it?

So maybe at these points of giving up, we should take a time-out and go get a drink, but let's get back in the game. After all, you'll never know when you're last shot will be!!

Strawberry Fields wrote: Your rambling came at an interesting time for me now that both of my parents are gone and I have watched them die. I think what I have witnessed is that what is really hard about 'leaving' is leaving those who love us and the worry we have about them... Another thing that is come to me very clearly is to not die with your 'story still in you'. I agree. Although I've never felt that my story was particularly interesting and definitely not worth sitting down and writing, there are parts of it that are so I have started writing more things down. I started a "vacation journal" at first. When we went on vacations I would write in it every day about what we saw and did. It has been nice to look back on our vacations and be reminded of the things we experienced that I would have forgotten about. I've expanded on that a little bit at times, but it's always been somewhat constrained for the fear that my husband would read it. I think I'm going to throw caution to the wind soon and write my real story though. Hugs, SF

Agreed! Like...maybe we were best friends with Brad Pitt before we were born! Craaazzyy!! :) So much fun stuff to look forward to.

Your rambling came at an interesting time for me now that both of my parents are gone and I have watched them die. I think what I have witnessed is that what is really hard about 'leaving' is leaving those who love us and the worry we have about them... Another thing that is come to me very clearly is to not die with your 'story still in you'.

Hugs, SF