Eternal Now

I'm not really sure how to start this, but my heart aches as I think of a girl my age who had to wake up to a new reality.  A reality without her mother and brother.  A reality where she is still grieving her sister.  And I feel completely inadequate to comment on this situation or on this type of grief.  I feel silly to worry about the boys that bug me or my hair that is falling flat.  My ambitions, however noble they are, seem trivial when comparing it to the heartache of the situation.  

Lists seem a little callous, but they are here for organization, so here are a few of my thoughts as I heard about the accident.  

1.  I heard this quote today in my D&C class.  And I loved the thought of an eternal now.  Heavenly Father doesn't see things in a chronological timeframe.  He doesn't see it as past, present, or future.  He sees it as something that is constantly happening and continuously part of His plan.  I like the reminder that for Him, the Veil is much thinner, and the grief in this life is much shorter than we could imagine.  

"Our own intellectual shortfalls and perplexities do not alter the fact of God’s astonishing foreknowledge, which takes into account our choices for which we are responsible. Amid the mortal and fragmentary communiques and the breaking news of the day concerning various human conflicts, God lives in an eternal now where the past, present, and future are constantly before Him (see D&C 130:7). His divine determinations are guaranteed, since whatever He takes in His heart to do, He will surely do it (see Abr. 3:17). He knows the end from the beginning! (see Abr. 2:8). God is fully “able to do [His] … work” and to bring all His purposes to pass, something untrue of the best-laid plans of man since we so often use our agency amiss! (see 2 Ne. 27:20)."   -Neal A. Maxwell 

2. I also found a certain amount of peace knowing that a mother was reunited with her daughter.  This past year has no doubt been horrible and gut-wrenching.  And yesterday she that part of her grief was finished.  

3.  I was talking with a friend yesterday about the concept of death.  In our mortal perspective, death is horrific and life-changing.  We see it as an end of progression and the final act.  We can't even imagine the eternal perspective.  And I'm so grateful that I have a Heavenly Father who recognizes that and who is willing to cry with us.  But He also provides us with the greatest amount of peace we could find.  Every single day. 

Praying for my family a little more today.  So grateful for those people.  So grateful for this Gospel.