A Heavenly Friday Five

Singing Owl from RevGalBlogPals gives us this one:

.... So how about we share five "heavenly" things? These can me serious or funny or a combination of the two.

What is your idea of a heavenly (i.e. wonderful and perfect):

1. Family get-together

In addition to the fact that everybody's there (especially the really notorious sinners), I think it would be wonderful to see my mother and my Aunt Margaret laughing warmheartedly at each other's jokes. Each of them had a great sense of humor but it ended where the other was concerned. A joke by one was always an offense to the other; not so in heaven! And just to see people no longer burdened by anxiety, guilt, shame, or pain. Nobody disapprovin' on anybody else. And with Jesus as sommelier we know the wine is going to be fabulous!

2. Song or musical piece

Well, Bach's St Matthew Passion is my favorite piece of music but it seems a bit lugubrious for heaven. Still, I want to hear it again, followed by some good Gospel singing and clapping, then performance of lots and lots of Mozart. Then some kirtan and dancing. A round of drinks, some BBQ and Dixieland. Oh my, how can one pick? Well, we do have eternity to party.

3. Gift

Travel. My beloved and the church sent me to Northumbria on pilgrimage. Enabling anyone to go to new places, meet new people, learn about other parts of the world, experience the earth's beauty, begin to understand other cultures, etc.

Knowledge. I think of Mr. Alan Amend, my high school history and humanities teacher. He gave us not just information but passion for learning, exploration, and clear and beautiful expression.

4. You choose whatever you like-food, pair of shoes, vacation, house, or something else. Just tell us what it is and what a heavenly version of it would be.

Hmm. A cozy cabin in the yellow-pine belt, neighbors no closer than a quarter-mile, summertime with lots of hiking, pine needles under my feet, the scent of kit-kit-dizze (Chamaebatia foliolosa, mountain misery, bear clover--smells like witch hazel), nearby groves of giant sequoia, streams and waterfalls, mountain azalea and alders and dogwood. A lake for swimming with spots for sunbathing. Nothing to do but explore and enjoy. Campfires with good conversation and laughter.

Hume Lake, oil on canvas - the BB (1968)

In the winter, a beach in the tropics with not too much humidity.

OK, year-round sunbathing with no fear of ultraviolet light. A chance to catch up on all the books I have bought and not yet read.

And the only outdoor sounds would be those of nature and early evening live outdoor concerts (without amplification). No traffic, no boom boxes. Distant sounds of children playing happily.


5. And for a serious moment, or what would you like your entrance into the next life to be like? What, from your vantage point now, would make Heaven "heavenly?"

Kazan waiting for me at the gate, his head suddenly lifted with alertness, then both of us wagging our tails and rolling around on the ground with joy at reunion. This is a very serious response and I know Scout, and Grendel, and Rowan will all understand.

Kit-kit-dizze

--the BB