On Ending Things

I've discovered something about my writing style: I'm a huge fan of the open-ended ending - the one that implies that, while this story arc is completed, there is another one to come.  In my FYEC play, a character gives another character advice; the implication is that the latter takes it and avoids suicide.  In the J-Term play, there's the opportunity for more adventures in the Senate and a budding relationship between two of the three major characters.  In the NaNo novel that I have finished, there is a marriage proposal involved.

I think there is a lot to be said for an open-ended ending - it allows the audience to contemplate the future endeavors of the characters and gives them a chance to think back to the beginning of the work.  On the other hand, I know it frustrates some people because of the lack of a definitive ending - why does there have to be implications of further things ahead?
The point of an open-ended ending, however, is not necessarily to irk you, it is mostly just to draw parallels and conclusions.  If done correctly, all the plot lines are still drawn together and there is hope for the future characters, and you have to tilt your head and smile because it is all going to be okay.