My Family, My Grandpa, and Life After Death

Me, Grandpa, and my sister

Ever since I can remember, the first weekend in October meant watching the prophet and other leaders of our church speak at General Conference. As a child, I remember those Saturdays and Sundays felt very long. (There are 4 general sessions of the conference, each 2 hours long.) But I always liked the feeling of being with my family, gathered around our computer screen, watching together. I liked the "togetherness."

When I was in college, I would drive 2 hours to get to my grandpa's house and watch conference with him. Grandpa was my hero in every sense of the word. He was handsome and tall and strong (even at 80+ years old). He was independent and a hard worker. He was intelligent and inquisitive and liked reading and solving brain teasers and word problems--and even at 80+ you could find him sitting in his chair solving problems out of a calculus book to "keep his brain sharp." He complained about the multiplying feral cats that ran wild outside his house, but would go put out pans of milk and scraps for them (the old softy). He was the best storyteller and teacher I've ever met. He was never preachy. He asked questions and told stories and talked to you like you mattered. But he loved his family with a strong, enduring love. And he had a strong, enduring testimony of Jesus Christ and lived his life according to the principles and standards taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was sitting in his creaky old house, watching General Conference with grandpa, that I realized for the first time that watching 8 hours of conference no longer felt long to me. I cherished that time with him and loved the way he talked to me about the messages that were being shared. Now, this time of year especially, I really, really miss him. And more than anything, I am so happy to know that death was not the end for him and it will not be the end for any of us.

-Elin
Who did not inherit her grandpa's ability to make sense of calculus...

One of the things that helps strengthen my already existent belief in life after death is hearing the words of others who believe the same--like this:

(You can read the full message here.)