This world is a melting pot of ideas, theories, superstitions and beliefs. No two cultures are exactly alike and it is for this reason that confusion, judgement and fear rules the age. The question of what happens to us when we die is one that has been asked for centuries. No two people in the world believe exactly the same thing and it is this that gives us the freedom to continue questioning what exactly happens to us in the end. Is there a life after this one? One where we will be young and carefree forever? One where the sun always shines and tolerance rules? My answer is simple—of course there is, and I’m looking forward to it.

In my 30 years on this earth, I have lost many people who were dear to me. That’s a strange phrase though, isn’t it? Lost. What does lost actually imply? That you don’t know where someone or something is? That it could very well be possible that you’ll never find it or them? That doesn’t fit the situation at all if you ask me. I didn’t lose anyone. I never walked into a room and put them down, forgot to pick them up again and in doing so misplaced them. I know exactly where my loved ones are. And I know that one day I will find them again. When I leave the turmoil of this life and pass into the next one, they will be there waiting for me as if no time has passed at all.

Sometimes I think about the sadness and how my heart is broken to no longer have them here on Earth to talk with, laugh with and swap stories with. But then my heart swells with amazement knowing that there is something better than life here on this Earth and that they are once again healthy, vibrant and for the first time truly alive. It still hurts like it was yesterday. I still miss them like they were here with me this morning. I miss their stories, I miss their laugh and I miss their smile. I'll always remember their wit, their strength, their courage and their love for God and everyone they knew. I know they’re happy where they are and that Heaven is everything they imagined and more. Death is not the end, it is only the beginning.

So what are we so afraid of? Why does the thought of dying send us all into full on panic mode? Is it the thought of never really knowing what awaits us? Or is it the realization that someone we love will be left behind? I never have been able to figure it out. In my waking hours I feel confident in knowing that this life, this moment, is temporary, and one day I will see and know wonders not possible to imagine. But when it’s dark outside and I am lying in my bed waiting for sleep to overtake me, I let fear creep in and I am frightened of what I’d be leaving behind and who will be left to miss me—will anyone be left to miss me? I think that is a critical element of humanity though. We are brave when facing the world and cowardly when it comes to facing the unknown.

Now, armed with this new knowledge and understanding of myself, I have decided to stop living for the day I die and to simply start living. I don’t want to let my fear overcome me. There is something better waiting for me. There are family members and friends who will smile when I pass through the door and I will greet them as if we just spoke this morning. And truth be told, I cannot wait. I want to have a million stories to share with them and a million moments of my current life to look back on and be grateful for.

Sometimes the mind can play tricks on you; make you think you hear someone's voice when you can't. Sometimes the quiet, gentle laugh of a complete stranger can take you back to a memory that you'd long misplaced in your mind. But it's those little moments that make missing someone so worth it. Because every time you think of them, it's like meeting them for the first time all over again. So smile through the tears, laugh through the pain, and always remember that living is temporary and death is not forever. We will meet again. This is the only thing in life of which I'm sure.