Just as death is — from a medical perspective — a physiological reality, for Elder Nelson the scientist, Christ's resurrection is every bit as much a biological and physical reality, he said. "I have a lot of friends who wonder how you can believe in a resurrection. For me, that's not difficult.

"Much more difficult for me would be to believe that I could be created in the first place. I've got a DNA that's specifically mine, a blood type that's specifically mine. Those formulas are written in every cell of my body. No doubt those are on file in that great, heavenly filing cabinet. It's much easier for me to believe that the same individual can be created again with those formulas and elements available. It's a lot easier to believe in that than to believe I was created in the first place. Now that's really a mystery."

Belief in a resurrection, even from a purely secular standpoint, is relatively easy, he said. "Think of all the eyewitness accounts of those who saw the resurrected Lord. It's one of the most well-documented events of all human history."

As certain as he is that death will be sweet, and that life continues beyond the grave, Easter marks the season of reaffirming such values, but that isn't unique to a time of year for Elder Nelson. He lives daily with the assurance that comes through Christ's atonement, which gives his life its underlying meaning and purpose.

He said he's "in no hurry to leave ... I don't have to have turkey to enjoy Thanksgiving. Every day is Thanksgiving to me."

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