I'm grateful...

I was thinking today about things I'm grateful for, one of them is the plan of salvation. When we were in Washington we went to the memorial for an uncle of mine who died about a year back, most of us hadn't been there before and a lot of us hadn't seen each other in years. Most of my family are Latter-day Saints but this uncle hadn't been for years and years, his family isn't really religious and they had a really hard time dealing with his death. While is was hard for the rest of us, we knew that we would see him again, that there's a heaven above and that we can be together forever as families.
While we were all there one of my uncles led us in a sort of memorial service, my aunts and uncle and my dad told their memories about my uncle and then my grandma did. It was really interesting because I'd never know this uncle very well and this was a chance to learn a bit about him. After they all told their memories about him my uncle dedicated the site. It was a good experience for all of us as a family.
It's so different to see death in an LDS setting and out of it. Death isn't so sad in the church, we know that through the ordinances we perform in temples, that we can always be together and that people who die are in a better place. Of course we miss these people but we are comforted at the same time. I remember going to the funeral of a childhood friend who died very young and the different feeling that was present at his memorial service/ funeral but even there because of their religion, I think the family felt some comfort. I can't imagine what it would be like not to believe in God and not to have any idea what was coming after death. In life as well I've seen a sort of difference in people who don't believe in anything too religious, it seems like it could be very daunting, very lonely and at times quite terrifying. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father and that I can pray and talk to him. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and the atonment, that I can be forgiven and return to be with him. I am grateful.