Heavenly Thoughts 

   “I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side.  I can only imagine what my eyes would see when your face is before me.  I can only imagine.”  (“I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe, lyrics by Bart Millard) 

   MercyMe’s song speaks to my heart; it challenges me to imagine what heaven will be like.  It also reminds me that all I can do is imagine; the reality is beyond my comprehension.  But I love considering the possibilities.

   Will we talk in heaven?  Will there be any sound at all?  Or will all simply be known within our hearts with no need for words?  Some say heaven is a place of silence, that there will be no need of communication as we know it in this world.  Drawn to silence and solitude as I am, this is an interesting concept.

   Are there holidays to celebrate, or will every day be a holiday?  The origin of the word holiday is Holy Day; in heaven every day will be a Holy Day, every day a day of celebration.

   Will there be family gatherings of those we love?  Maybe we will all be family, the family of God, living in the joy and happiness He has prepared for us.

   Will I be able to hold my wife’s hand?  In this life we held hands at every opportunity.  We loved to just sit hand in hand, feeling the love God has blessed us with coursing through our hands.  Of all the things I miss since she has been gone from me, I think holding her hand is the one I miss most of all.  In my human thoughts and wishes I hope to again be able to sit and hold her hand through all eternity.

   St. Paul tells us that we cannot know heaven in this lifetime, “What no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor 2: 9).  I accept and understand that I cannot understand heaven in this life.  But it brings me great peace and joy to sit in silence with my God and contemplate the possibilities.