Aside from the religious perspective of Heaven and all of its meanings, I got to thinking about what Heaven would be like; who would be there, what we would see, how would we feel......
It would heaven to me if there were pine trees, green grasses, ferns, cool air, breezes, blue skies, clouds, and a sprinkle of rain now and then. All of my growing up and adult life has been associated with frequent camping trips in the trees. Being in the forest is a part of me. There would definitely be no bugs, flies, or spiders...
It would be heaven to me if I could be of benefit to someone else. Whether in service, or conversation, it would be heaven if my efforts were useful and helpful to someone else. Not for my own gratification, but for the betterment of others.
It would be heaven to me if I could quilt, sew, and crochet things to give away to people who needed and wanted them. These are passions of mine that I like to make and share.
It would be heaven to me if there were flowers of every kind everywhere, especially the strongly scented ones. They would be wonderful to look at, and especially nice to smell. And they'd be all over the place, wherever I went. Vines, bushes, in gardens, along the roadsides, and in vases. Everywhere!
It would be heaven to me if there were music ringing in every corner of the world. Light music, soft music, dancing music, rock music that's upbeat---all clean. The music would be the kind that sinks into your heart and makes you happy, and makes you dance, and sway.
It would be heaven to me if I could have the body I had at 24 years of age. At that age, I felt physically good (and mentally, too!) Those were the years of single-handedly moving furniture around the living room (some of it quite heavy), painting bedrooms, and mowing the grass; of carrying on my hip one toddler, holding the hand of another, and loading a cart full of groceries and kids into the car quickly. (it was hard, but I miss those days)
It would be heaven to me if I could have endless supplies for making Chocolate Chip Cookies everyday. I would eat half the batch fresh out of the oven, and share the rest each time I made them. (and I wouldn't get sick!) Speaking of baking, I would want to make danishes, breads, cakes and pies. All of which would be enjoyed by family and friends. An extension of that would be helping my husband run a little restaurant. He would do all the cooking, because he's a fantastic chef, and I'd taste test everything he made!
It would be heaven to me if I could have a Doberman Pincher dog, and not be allergic to him (it would be a male dog). I would play and roughhouse with him, walk/run around the neighborhood, and then have him rest his head on my feet while I sit on the sofa in the evening. He would be the usual black color with a little brown.
It would be heaven to me if I had all the time in the world to do all of the things I'd wanted to do during this life that take time to learn. Not that I haven't done many things in my life, but time hasn't permitted me to pursue hobbies that seemed intriguing. There wouldn't be a clock to abide by, no rush, no deadlines or time limits on when I could start something and end something, and I'd have plenty of time to learn new things. And anything I created would be of benefit to someone else.
It would be heaven to me if I could continue to bear children and not be in pain: babies, babies, babies! I loved carrying them during pregnancy, and I loved delivering them (but not the painful part). I loved their sweet newborn smell, their tiny features, and their little cries. It would be heaven to keep babies coming!
It would be heaven to me if I knew that my husband and I could be together forever. We could spend time together alone, and also with our family. We would laugh, cook, garden, eat tons, and hike hills and mountains together. This would make me beyond happy.
It would be heaven to me if I could listen to my husband sing: hymns, old songs, silly songs, anything...it would be great!
It would be heaven to me if I knew that ALL of our children were together with us throughout the eternities, and none were left out or left behind.
So many things would make heaven wonderful, but the best of all would be that we, my husband and I, and all of our children, would be happy! Together!
(in thinking more about this subject, there may be more added to this post at a later date)
UPDATE:
In thinking about what more to add about what heaven could be, I've decided that adding the word "forever" to the last thought (above) would be perfect. It would read: ...it would be heaven if my husband and I, and all of our children could be happy together FOREVER!!!
