Eternally Singles' Awareness Day

So today is Valentines Day. It is also Singles Awareness Day. I've heard a dozen other nicknames for this day of the year, usually made up by sad, lonely singles who are trying to be happy about something while all their "in a relationship" friends are out on a romantic date.

Don't worry, I'm not here to make fun of, tease, or degrade singles today. That wouldn't be fair. Singles get enough of that already. And I don't really have the right to make fun. Trust me, if there is anything worse than being single on Valentines Day, it's having a significant other who you can't see, or even speak to on Valentines Day. So enough of all that...

I was thinking this morning... "Singles awareness day" is supposed to mean something along the lines of:

Oh look everyone! That person didn't get any chocolate or flowers today because no one loves them! They should just go cry in their room with a bucket of ice cream.

But I thought of a better way to truly make everyone aware of a real singles problem,

Eternally Singles' Awareness 

Until death do we part. That's what the guy performing your marriage will likely say. Until death do we part? Really? If I heard that as part of my vow on that most anticipated day, I don't think I would even bother with the marriage! Who only wants to be with their spouse until death? What happened to happily ever after? I don't want happily for the rest of their lives... I want happily ever after.

FOREVER!

People have told me that they like to think long term in a relationship. Why would you spend time dating a person if you didn't think there was a chance you will marry them one day? Why continue, if you know you aren't going to finish? Well, I think long term too. When I think about my girlfriend (Emily), I don't make plans for when I'm going to dump her, and who I'm going to date next, and so on and so forth. If I didn't have the intention of marrying Emily, then I wouldn't still call her my girlfriend! But I do.

Every week, Emily and I write a letter to each other. And every week, my favorite part is at the very end when she signs:

Love Emily,
Your Eternal Companion

You see, Emily and I don't waste our time thinking temporally. We have every intention of spending eternity together.

Why? Because Heaven would not be Heaven without my eternal companion by my side.

This is what sets apart The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Eternal Families. So I want to make everyone aware of those dreadful words "until death do you part." And I want to spread awareness that it does not need to be so.

Spread the news! Singles awareness day! Everyone in Heaven is single according to everyone else, but it does not need to be so. You don't need to spend every Valentines day after you die eating a bucket of ice cream while you remember the good old days when you used to have a family.

That is not Heaven.

I know that my family can be together forever. I know that my family WILL be together forever. I love them. And I cannot imagine life without my family for all eternity. God understands families. He knows how important they are, because we are all His children! and I know that He wants us to live happily ever after with our family, because He loves us. So spread awareness. It's Eternally Singles Awareness Day.