Heaven?

I've been thinking about heaven lately. I want to imagine that such a place really exists. That when we die we don't just go back to the earth,'dust to dust'. Is there an after life? I'm very cynical regarding this theory. I have said for a long time,'dead is dead'. When we die there is simply, 'nothing'. It would be nice to know that Lex was somewhere wonderful, that she is happy, not in pain and no longer afraid, it definitely would help me to know she still existed on some metaphysical level. Then, I wouldn't have to think about the completeness of her death, the finality of it. Alexis and I were as close as a mother and daughter could be, we spent a lot of time together especially the last year, part of me hoped that this closeness would afford me the ability to sense her, but, I don't feel her I don't even dream about her. Sometimes I stand in the middle of her room with my eyes closed trying to feel her and all I get is... nothing. I was told by a friend that after someone dies it takes a few months for them to acclimate to their new surroundings and once they have, you will dream about them. I don't know about this, what do you think? I also wonder about all those who have passed before, so many great minds, scientists and artists, I think about the waste that their deaths are. Where do all their thoughts and ideas go after they have died?
I have developed my own theory, if heaven really does exist then, I think it must be an amazing place, so beautiful, so incredible that if we knew of it we would all try to get in. No one would bother to get cured from illnesses because dieing would lead to the most wonderful after-life, no one would want to stay alive. Could this be the reason why it's so hard for our loved ones to contact us after they've died, because they might accidentally give us too much information about heaven? Is it also why if they do manage to reach us their messages are so cryptic?
I like this idea, it ties everything up in a nice little bow, answers all my questions and allows me to fantasize about Lex going on, unfortunalty, that's all I can do, pretend and hope that an afterlife really does exist then it would be all worth it.