heaven

nope, not a post about the song by bryan adams, although it is a sweet love song indeed. no this post is about something different.

last night, instead of watching my usual big brother show, i watched a movie. 'five people you meet in heaven.' it was recommended to me by a friend and i thought, i'd check it out. i will be honest, the first 4 people he met, were sorta long, drawn out and didn't do much for me, but person number 5, while predictable, was still very moving for me. i think it was the overall message that moved me.

you see, each person created their own heaven to spend eternal life in. some chose a tropical paradise while another chose a common diner. this concept was very powerful to me. imagine - choosing your own heaven.

i sat there, crying at the entire message. i think it's a different message for each viewer. after the movie had ended i began to wonder... 'who were the 5 people my grandfather met in heaven? all the people he loved were still here.' 'what was his heaven like?' i sobbed for a bit longer and then asked myself, 'what would MY heaven be like?' what would i choose to spend eternal life in. sephora (my favorite store) ... surely not. that's heaven on earth for me. i don't know what i would choose.

perhaps a cool sunny day in a park where you can hear the laughter of children as they roll down hills and swing on swings. or maybe i'd be surrounded by mountains and soothing waterfalls. or perhaps my heaven will be something i have yet to see. with people i have yet to meet.

i imagine if heaven is what you choose it to be, people are happy in their element. be it snow-capped mountains, deserted islands or deer filled woods - heaven could be what you created. it's amazing to think about.

the movie was rather long... longer than i think it needed to be, but at the end i realized what it meant... our journeys are different. no two people will have the same 5 people nor the same journey in life. and as i sit here typing this post, i still get misty eyed at the thought that maybe one of my 5 people will be my 'pap' who i lost when i was 10 years old. maybe i'll find him once again. someday, hopefully later than sooner.