My Own Version of Heaven

Susie, the main character in The Lovely Bones, brought up the idea that we all have our own version of heaven. The heavens “didn’t duplicate precisely, but had a lot of the same things going on inside.” She said, “the boys didn’t pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue” (Seabold, 2002, 17, 18).

My heaven would have beautiful oxeye daisies growing everywhere, and trees that flowered all year long. My heaven would have mountains with snow on the tippy top, trails that crossed over streams and wound through the woods, waterfalls that sprayed cool mist on my face, oceans teeming with whales that danced in the water, and wild animals that would let me watch them from a distance. My heaven would have leaves floating to the ground in autumn and snow silently falling in winter – neither of which would need to be raked or shoveled. My heaven would have lots of bright stars, full moons that are giant-size like when it’s near the horizon, and sunrises and sunsets mixed with a few clouds so all the colors are on display. My heaven would have the sound of peepers, frogs, and birds that could survive without eating bugs – no bugs in my heaven.

My heaven would have cozy fires with no smoke, and hot tubs that didn’t increase the electric bill. My heaven would have motorcycles and snowmobiles that were never dangerous and didn’t burn gasoline. My heaven would have very high and very fast roller coasters – lots of them – and no one would ever get sick from riding them. My heaven would have Scrabble and Cribbage and lots of other games, and lots of people to play them with me – I would win every time after a legitimate struggle (you can win every game in your heaven). My heaven would have Sunday naps every day and bubble baths every night in a tub that held water deeper than my knees.

My heaven would have hot dogs and marshmallows on the fire. My heaven would have Tom’s chocolate cake that wouldn’t clog my arteries or make me fat – and I could have two pieces if I wanted. My heaven would have lots and lots of candy (Twizzlers, Tangy Taffy, 3 Musketeers, peanut M&Ms, etc.) that never rotted my teeth. My heaven would have fruit that was always sweet – grapes, watermelon, pineapple, oranges – and corn on the cob that was always ripe. My heaven would have deep fried crispy chicken (with the skin on) and French fries…and lots of ketchup.

My heaven would have Jesus and Ricky and Grandpa Bloomer, who would be holding baby Ava, and Grandpa and Grandma Hildreth. My heaven would have lots and lots of people who love me no matter what, who forgive me for being stupid or mean, and who like to think hard and talk deep with me. My heaven would have lots of singing and dancing with all the people I love. My heaven would have joy…pure, rich joy.

Please don’t misunderstand these musings. I am not interested in replacing the beautiful place God has prepared for me with something as finite as that which my own mind could imagine. These are just the things I think about.

Revelations 22