What this is all About

By Amie May

I was cooking supper. It was hot outside, and our air conditioner wasn't keeping up very well with all of the things that I had on the stove.

My daughter Amanda and her friend were playing on the trampoline in the back yard.

My son Mike was watching tv in the family room; I could see the back of his head over the top of the couch. I couldn't believe how much they had grown, and how quickly.

Amanda and her friend came in, interrupting my thoughts and scratching their shiny from sweaty play bodies. Amanda exclaimed "The mosquitoes are bitin' us! Do we have any spray stuff?"

I felt frustrated and angry. As I walked to the hallway closet to get some (deet-free) mosquito spray, I thought, "Couldn't they have any fun at all without being bothered by those dumb mosquitoes?!"

In our Texas town, mosquitoes are almost a part of the culture. They invite themselves to every barbeque, parade, and outdoor event we have - and we have a lot of 'em!

Returning with spray in hand, I spritzed Amanda and her poor little red bumped legs and arms. Moving next to her friend, I asked Mike, "If you could create your own Heaven, would it have mosquitoes in it?" I thought for sure that he would answer with what I saw as the obvious. Without much thought, without moving his attention from his program, he said "I guess". I was shocked!

Both girls went happily back out to play. I was curious as to what Mike was thinking after his last response, so I probed a bit and asked, "What would your Heaven look like?"

Once again with barely a flinch or change in expression he said, "I guess like here." At that point my emotions felt reduced to absolute perplexity.

I realized that I hadn't truly thought much about it myself. It really hit me though. My son is at peace with his surroundings. I wouldn't begrudge him for that.

But I’m left wondering about myself. Could I bring myself a similar place? Is it possible to be comfortable living with things in this world that I experience as personal pains in the rear?

Mosquitoes are annoying.

Then there are things like roaches, having to clean up after my dog (or anything for that matter), refereeing sibling battles, and vegetables. Alright, admittedly I like vegetables, Amanda wanted me to write that.

On a bigger scale, there's world hunger, wars, violence, hate, and all sorts of atrocites.

Perhaps Mike was naive. Or maybe he wasn't.

Just thinking about it as a concept, though, how much could one translate into a Heaven of their own creation? If you could include mosquitoes, what else could you include?

And, if it is possible to come to terms with things right here and now, might that mean having Heaven right here and now?

It sounds so simple, as if it could be some sort of formula for everyone that finally works. I'm sure that it's not.

Understanding the culture, history, and language of the people who recorded the bible story enriched its pages for me. It offered me permission to listen to my heart and to be who I am. To me, it is not a story belonging to any one person or group, but a story belonging to every human being.

Without connection to our hearts, any story of love, peace, and acceptance will sound like a fairy tale because love speaks loudest from our hearts - and so often painful experiences work toward muffling that voice. There is hope for healing.

These days I'm seeing Heaven where I hadn't before.

Sometimes what we wish for has been here all along.

Thank you for taking the time.