They don't stop to think maybe some families SHOULDN'T be forever. Like an abusive, overwhelmed mother who always made you feel like dirt or a husband who is always dismissive and condescending and controlling or a father who spent all his time at church callings and had no relationship with his children. For example, I know more than one temple marriage where the couple are obviously deeply unhappy with each other and their kids are taking the brunt of it and I know a number of women who have dumbed it down considerably to make things work with a controlling husband and a number of men who are second place to their wives "servicing" the church and/or their wives sexual hangups. Yet all these people don't look at the possibility that everyone might be better off apart - not always but sometimes - people are sincerely better off away from each other. But they'd rather be crippled by a bad family relationship under the guise of keeping a forever family. Maybe everyone would be better off if they just chose who they hung around with, both in this life and the next.

Or how about Moms like Susan Smith or Andrea Yates, who drowned their kids . . . I'll just bet those youngsters want to be with their loving families through eternity. NOT!

Everyone has problems but I suppose that if we do continue to grow and progress after death than in a couple of trillion years we should be able to overcome some of these things. If we are headed in the right direction, we will get there.

The day I realized that I loved my family enough to make them (not church expectations) my #1 priority while they were young, then let go of them as they grew older, made their own choices, and *gasp* we possibly never saw each other after death, was one of the most healing moments in this long, long journey.

Some are so worried about their forever family that they don't bother to spend anytime with them in the present.

Like grandparents who go on missions; missing the birth of grandchildren, college graduations, and just hanging out together.