A “Liminal” Glimpse
The Rome Terminal: A “Liminal” Glimpse of Our Heavenly Home
In the Rome airport, there is a huge waiting area where you sit until your flight is assigned a gate. As I sat there waiting for our flight, a whole story passed through my mind. As I watched the coming and going of people I imagined us all sitting together in heaven, waiting for our turn—much like My Turn on Earth!
Passengers in Rome all watch the board, waiting for the flight name and number to pop up to tell us which gate to board. When it finally appears, we all move toward a destination, yet under vastly different circumstances. Some people in that waiting area are leaving for a quick trip, while others are prepared for a long journey, and everything in between. Some wait as families; others wait alone. Different emotions fill the air depending on the nature of the journey ahead.
Technically, everyone in that airport (hopefully) used their free agency to decide to go on their trip. Because of our desire to exercise that same agency—to act and be acted upon—we received the opportunity to wait our turn to be sent to Earth, leaving our heavenly home and our loving Heavenly Father. A beautiful tender Mercy given to us through the Plan of Salvation from Him.
One major difference in heaven would have been that we already knew each other. I imagine us talking excitedly amongst ourselves about where we would go and what we would do.
In the Rome waiting area, some had only a small purse, while others had multiple bags full of wonderful things—necessities for the trip, or gifts for family and friends.
Being Taught by the Spirit
As I was contemplating this parallel between an airport and heaven, I was led by Heavenly Father’s tender mercies to these scriptures.
Doctrine and Covenants 46:11–12
“For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. “
“To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.”
The wonderful gifts we carry in our proverbial suitcases are meant to be shared with those around us once we arrive at our destination. Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need to pack for our journey and where to send us for our learning and growing experiences.
Moroni 10:8
"...And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all."
We, too, came here with different gifts and talents. Some may feel they arrived with an empty or very light suitcase, but not all gifts take up the same amount of space or weight. In his talk, "Do Your Part with All Your Heart," Elder Uchtdorf said:
"You might suppose that in the premortal existence, on the day of the great gift and talent smorgasbord, your plate seemed woefully sparse—especially compared to the stacked and overflowing plates of others. Oh, how I wish I could embrace you and help you understand this great truth: You are a blessed being of light, the spirit child of an infinite God! And you bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine."
William Wordsworth:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home.
(excerpt from Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood)
Notes:
It is hard to describe how these thoughts converged. I felt this comparison while sitting in the airport; then, as I was trying to capture the feeling in words. While studying I read Moroni 10. I looked up "gifts" and found the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants, which brought Elder Uchtdorf’s talk to mind. Listening to his words, I realized that everything Heavenly Father has mercifully walked me through and taught me, line upon line, had already been beautifully expressed by Elder Uchtdorf. But now I have my own testimony that the spirit bore to me.
I learned from AI the word “liminal.” It describes an "in-between" state, space, or time—a threshold of transition or change. Originating from the Latin limen (meaning "threshold"), it often refers to transitional places like hallways or airports. The "liminal space" is that sacred gap between where we were and where we are going: the airport waiting room and the heavenly waiting room.
