A funeral can be a perfect place to find heaven !!

Our earth life as an extension of our lives before we came to earth when we were all children of our maker and learned of the plan to come to "earth school" to learn the things we need to know and do in order to progress and become all that we can be someday. Earth life is a blip of our eternity. Our next life when we leave this earthly existence,(hopefully to spend eternity with our maker and our loved ones), is a continuation of our eternal existence. If we think of it this way then, like our birth, our funeral should likewise be a CELEBRATION, only this time, a graduation.

I was at a funeral today that lasted for 2 1/2 hours. It was for a wonderful woman who lived a full life and passed at age 94. There was laughter throughout as stories and antidotes were shared during the eulogy, and by many of the family members and close friends. Not all funerals will have humor but they certainly can be filled with memories of a person's value, contributions, and impact on others. As we say, "We love you and we will see you again soon", it is more like launching them off on an extended cruise to see beautiful new places and experience amazing new things as they await our arrival when it is our turn to return "home". If we focus on the tremendous happiness our dearly departed feel, not only being free of their earthly pains and concerns, but also the joyous reunions with those who gone on before, who love them, and have been waiting for them to get finished with their earthly experience down here, it is easier to be happy for them and to look forward to seeing them again someday soon. As I felt the love and joy of the friends and family reuniting their love with one another and saying goodbye to a tremendous lady today I thought, "this must be what heaven is like."

If I had a time machine and could reach back in time...

As we raised our 5 amazing children life kicked all of us around, just like it does everyone else, and the road was extremely bumpy at times. I regret the times when the noise and the intense needs, misunderstandings, insane schedules, and mishaps got to me and I was not a "happy mommy". The family pictures bear this out. I was EXHAUSTED, and very overwhelmed and frustrated. Now I can look back in my mind's eye and see each one of my precious children through all of their stages and I yearn to be able to reach back in time. The first thing I would do if I had a time machine, is hug myself and leave a strong knowledge that this time will pass faster than the blink of an eye. I would tell myself to enjoy every bit of each moment I had with my children because they would soon all be grown and gone. I would tell myself that for every word of criticism, "suggestions" about how they might have done something better, I needed to remember to first slather them with love and at least 5 praiseworthy and loving comments. As they grew older I finally caught on to that. It's miraculous how many things your kids will do for you, or will respond positively to if their "love buckets" are filled to the brim. When they know you love, admire and respect them, in spite of their weaknesses, you have some "magical clout" when you really need it. Of course you have to choose your battles carefully. Be sure that whatever you feel you need to fix is REALLY important... not just "how many times do I have to tell you to put the lid on the peanut butter jar and put it away?!!"... kind of thing. Well, as my children got older (age 10 through teens), I began to feel more heaven as I started using more praise and less criticism.

Who would have guessed...my kids all turned out smarter than me!

I got a call from one of my kids today. He and his wife have been following Dave Ramsey. He has a 13 week course called the "Financial Peace University". They are following it and have become an inspiration to our whole family. They are so smart to start using wise financial counsel while they are still just beginning their lives together. My husband and I certainly didn't "get it" when we were a young couple. As we visited they asked if I had seen their blogs. I confessed that I didn't know how to find them. My son then proceeded to walk me through the steps of creating a blog just so I could use it as a place where I could find their blogs. As he guided me, and his wife shared their enthusiasm for their new "project", I couldn't help but have this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for who they are and that they are part of my life. It's amazing how time flies by so fast. It seems only yesterday this boy, my youngest child, was an adorable toddler amazing us with his budding leadership abilities, unique sense of humor, and mesmerizing personality. Now, I sit back and marvel at the fact that he and his wife are such good examples to us all. I find my gratitude overflowing for the person he has turned into and the wonderful woman he chose to spend forever with. She is now "my" daughter and I count her as a special gift. When I recognize these things, I feel like I'm in heaven.

Where is Heaven?

I have had this song going through my head over and over. I thought it was a Primary children's song that I heard in church but it's not in the songbook. Isn't it funny how that happens? Well, it inspired me to use this title for my blog. My kids actually inspired me to start a blog.

Have you ever had moments in your life where you felt a wash of happiness flow over you and you just want to either cry happy tears or just sit there and revel in the moment? Whenever that happens to me I wish I could capture it so I could relive the moment over and over again. These are the moments when something wonderful happens and you feel overwhelmed with gratitude. It could be something big, or just a very small moment that helps you remember the "big picture". There's a sense of awe that feels surreal, not of this world. When this happens to me I think, "This must be what Heaven is like."