Heaven's Rejoicing

I got to spend some time at the temple on Saturday. It was peaceful and calming, and a much needed boost to my spiritual batteries.  We were there to be with two wonderful young friends as they went for the first time. As we stood in the celestial room, gathered in a half circle with their family and other friends, waiting to greet them and embrace them as the walked through the door, the thought came to me, "This must be what heaven is like."  All of your friends and family, gathered and excited to know that you're coming. Waiting to embrace and welcome you home.  I wonder who will be in my circle. Will they all be faces that I know, or will there be some ancestors that I haven't met?

Yesterday, we got a call that a friend in our old ward had died.  He was a truck driver. He hadn't checked in with his wife Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon she was beyond worried.  She and some friends contacted the police and several hours later they located his truck, parked at a truck stop in Kansas City. He had died sometime during the night. I thought of that circle in the temple again, and wondered about the one waiting for him.  I attended a funeral during my first year teaching for the mother of one of my students. She had had a long battle with cancer.  One of her children wrote a beautiful poem as tribute, and the last line has always stuck with me, "Heaven's rejoicing because Daria's back."  Do you suppose they make a big announcement when someone is returning, or does word just quietly make its way to all who would want to know?  However it happens, I'm sure there was rejoicing in heaven when they learned Doug was coming.  He's a good man, who will be dearly missed here by many.