"A Heavenly Friday Five"

Singing Owl is preparing to attend her sister's memorial service who died of complications of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She says: "I am not grieving much, since the shock and tears and goodbyes and losses have been many and have occurred for a long time now. I am mostly relieved that my wonderful sister and best friend is free from pain and confusion, and I am thinking of eternity. That sounds somber, but I don't mean it to be. I decided to have a little fun with the idea. 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 Lots of love and laughter, kissing babies and hugging everyone all around, music, talk, getting fed.....hmmm this could make for great liturgy, too!

2. Song or musical piece anything played with passion....and a fair amount of expertise can be heavenly....but there is nothing like chant by monks to make me think that perhaps I have without knowing it actually arrived.

3. Gift The honesty of true and loving friendship....those who nurture the tiny fledging sprouts of our best selves and help us flourish into the people God created us to be.

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 The heavenly vacation....hopefully the one I'm taking....to Ireland....with enough time to see some sights but also just to "be there" and experience this mystical and ancient land where I have my roots.

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?"

First, to have the sense that all is well as I cross from this life to the next, that I somehow "know" that I have done what I was here to do, some assurance of that, and then just sinking (or is it perhaps expanding?) into the God of the universe, the Love from whence I (and all) came....