Here's a real kicker:
Do any of you miss your now departed loved ones? "Yes", you say? Why?
Well, do you think your departed loved ones miss YOU?
I say NO! Why? Don't they love us? Of course they do! Do you miss any friend if that friend is in the same room with you at the moment? Of course not!
Martin quotes that we have already entered everlasting life. Therefore, are we not with our departed loved ones right now? Our flesh mind of course cannot see this, but what about our spiritual mind?
Furthermore, our departed loved ones are no longer confined to a time/space continuum, so it's spiritually possible that we are already with our departed loved ones even though we are still confined to a perishable flesh body.
It is written "Now we are seated in the Heavenlies". Funny, I thought we were still on Earth? Yeah, right, our flesh bodies are. I'm quite certain our spirit trancends our earthly body. Not necessarily in an actual "our of body" experience, as if we "died" or something, although that could possibly happen.
Chuck 
Chuck...
Best post on this entire thread.
I see the same thing, brother.
Do our loved ones sorrow for us...?? Well, if they see the bigger picture, there's not much need for sorrow and I believe they are cheering us on.
They are with us.
When my mother died, the split second before she died she said hello to my granny (who died 3 yrs before). I knew in my heart and in my soul that my granny WAS present and came to bring her home. My mother was dying of cancer, and had been thrashing a little back and forth and muttering and all of a sudden a great peace suddenly came over her from out of nowhere, she grew still and silent and said with all the wonder her voice could fathom... "Hi granny.....!"
A little bird who had flew on our windowsill and stood there looking in at us for several minutes and wouldn't leave, suddenly flew off the very SECOND that she died.
2 Weeks before my beloved dog died in January, my mother came to me in a dream and gave me a long, wonderful, comforting hug. (I've never had that happen to me in the 20 years that she has been dead. I woke up out of the dream in a "almost shocked" sort of state, because the dream was so intense and I just kept repeating to myself... oh my GOD! That was my mother. That was her essence, that wasn't just a dream... that was REALLY my mother! Her smell, her tight grip, the absolute comfort, everything about that hug was my mother.) After my dog died, I was a mess. I was so distressed my hair started to fall out and I developed hives. My dog also came back to me THREE times in very distinct dreams the night that he died and the week after, that I, again, woke right up out of. He showed me how happy and healthy and surrounded by love he was. He was doing things he wasn't able to on earth. A few other encouraging messages I got from those dreams, but they're personal.
I was still distressed because I had so much guilt, wishing things had been different, etc. (as we all do I suppose). But, anyway I got so bad one day, I had to stay home from work because I cried all day long and just couldn't shake it. Slowly but surely, the dreams started to sink in. God pointed me to many wonderful things in the bible. And a lot of other just truly beautiful things happened, especially some things that help snap me out of a year-long depression I had. Things have happened that have brought forth a need to put more love and kindness in this world. A need to rise above my earthly self and just do whatever I can do LOVE. To get past my earthly insecurities and limitations and LOVE. He worked some miracles in me and I have absolute, 100% faith that the moment we die, we go on and we are in the heavenlies. I will NEVER Forsake this belief. EVER.
My mother hugging me... I didn't realize it when it happened, but I was going to need that comfort. The year before I had been so distressed over things that had to do with events surrounding the death of HER mother, (my grandmother) and that was the first time my hair started falling out from stress. Then a year later, the stress enveloped me once more. She knew I needed that hug. (BEFORE I KNEW THAT I WOULD NEED THAT HUG. Do you see.... I had no idea the amount of distress I would be under when I had that dream. And I woke up perplexed at why, after TWENTY years would she NOW come to me?) And I believe things happened, and still more things happened in a way that would help me to really have faith in this belief of mine. I had already believed this. I never believed that when we die, we are just asleep. It was a hope deep inside of me and I had faith in it. Well God NURTURED it in a truly wonder-filled way. I think sometimes you just get to be shown stuff for a reason. We all have different little pieces of the puzzle. This puzzle piece is just... I can't tell you how sacred it is. I can't describe how valuable and beautiful it is to me. No matter the sorrow I went through to get it, the sorrow was just a stepping stone, in my eyes. and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
No mere human can ever say anything that will ever make me believe otherwise.
I see something that is so beautiful and wonder-filled....
God made me stumble across something that said "Native Americans believe that when a loved one died, they appear in a dream to a family member to let them know they are ok." I was not looking for this information, I just happened upon it.
Funny, how I have Native American blood and it was a Native American couple who helped me to understand Jesus.
Our God is VERY good.
VERY VERY VERY Good indeed.
But realizing having shared all of this, I do know that we are each on our own path.
I won't debate this view.
I just won't. If someone doesn't see it this way, that's fine.
No-one's beliefs intimidate my beliefs about this.
They are rock solid.
un-moving.
peace...
