Heaven. In my eyes.
I am not an overly spiritual person. Not in the traditional sense anyway.
I’ve never really been to church. Never really had a religion to practice. Never really had a clear belief as to whether or not there is a heaven or hell, whether or not there is a God that is the divine creator of life.
I am a ‘see it to believe it’ person.
I don’t knock people that have a strong religious belief…in fact, I think it is great that so many people have something to believe in, and to follow…and that doesn’t make me a bad person.
I have my own honor system and belief system that I try my hardest to live my life by, and so far, I think I have done a pretty good job.
Honor.Pride.Dignity.Trust.Loyalty.
If you keep these ideals at the forefront of all you do, you will end up being a great person.
A leader.
Someone to be admired.
Someone to be relied on.
Someone that has a strong family sense.
In my eyes, if you do all those things, when we meet the end of this life, it’ll all come out in the wash, and if there is a heaven, how could you be looked over for ‘admittance’ if you have lived a dignified, honorable life as a loyal, trustworthy, prideful person?
So I figure…either way…I’m good.
At any rate, despite my lack of faith in the traditional sense, I read an amazing book called “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom.
The book was in no means overly spiritual, and painted a terrific picture…about how our lives are intertwined…whether we know it…or like it.
Friends. Foes. Family. Neighbors. Co-Workers. Complete Strangers.
We are all interconnected in ways that are so intense…so in-depth…that its mind boggling to even conceive….
The basic premise of the story was before you make it to heaven; you must first meet five people…that will help tell a story that will help you understand your life on earth…which is a great gift when you really sit and think about it.
As the story goes on…and the main character…Eddie…meets each of the five people…and each time he meets a new person, he is thrown into an environment that is completely different from the previous.
With time, Eddie realizes that they each have their own idea of what heaven should be like.
That is what really got me to thinking…I never had really believed in heaven in the traditional sense that has been a picture painted for us over years and years of story telling. However, the picture that was painted in this book…makes sense.
Heaven is what YOU make it.
It is NOT what someone else thinks it should be. It is what makes you the happiest. I would love to say I could explain to you what MY heaven would be like, but ya know…I don’t think I have met my pinnacle of happiness yet.
Hopefully it is something that is around the bend…something that will help me fill an empty void in my life. I feel that time is long overdue.
So, after you read this…I urge you all, no matter what your beliefs are…to find your own lil piece of heaven. Make sure it is what makes you the happiest…cause that is what we all strive to be.
Think about it…
That is good stuff. You should do me a favor and read, “A History of God”, by Karen Armstrong. It is a awesome book written by a woman who after many years stopped being a nun and explored religion and wrote one of the greatest books ever.
I will do that. Been looking for something else to pick up.