118. Today I am grateful to know that there is life after death

Rachelle Elliott (middle)

In my first entry I wrote about a friend of mine who passed away and how I had wondered if she knew how grateful I was for her and our friendship. It was 6 years ago today. Rachelle was a friend who was always there when I needed someone to talk to, always there when I wanted someone to be with. She cared more about other people being happy or doing something for others than her own happiness and her own needs or wants.  She made me laugh.

Often something will happen and I will think to myself, Rachelle would have loved to have been there or she would have thought this was really funny. At the time Melissa (my twin) was pregnant with her first child and Rachelle was so excited for Melissa to be a mom and was really looking forward to meeting the baby. Perhaps she did.

It was hard to accept that Rachelle had passed away; it didn’t seem real until the day of her funeral. The funeral was held after Christmas and I was given an opportunity to speak. Over that Christmas season I reflected a lot on the Savior and the atonement and crucifixion. I know that Jesus Christ provided a way for us to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. I know that each one of us has a purpose to our life, no matter how long our mortal experience is. I know that there is life after death and continuing work for us to accomplish and I am grateful for that knowledge.