Right here! Right now! I’m staking my claim for a little piece of real estate in Heaven!
Oh it doesn’t have to be anything big. Just as long as I get a small share of it please.
Isn’t there a saying that goes something like this….only two things are guaranteed in this life and that’s taxes and death. Oh Lord, give me strength to carry on because I’m having a hard time with those taxes, so I’m going to try to secure a happy ever after.
So I’ve got my bags all packed and ready to go. So let’s see. I’ve got my toothbrush, my hairbrush, deodorant, and perfume. I got my underwear, my pajamas, and my socks and my shoes. I wonder if I should bring my bathing suit as well. Yeah, I’m packing that too just in case they have one of those Olympic size swimming pools. Okay, so it looks like I’m all ready.
So I’m sitting back, just as content as can be knowing that someday I’ll be taking a trip to a far away place. It is then that I get my “light bulb” moment! It’s about that darn suitcase that I’ve filled up with my THINGS. It’s like I’ve just been knocked along side of the head…..….”Fool, you’re not getting any ticket to paradise with your suitcase packed with THINGS!” So it looks like I’ve got to dump out the contents of my suitcase and start all over again.
Now let’s see. Just what can I put inside that suitcase for my trip? It won’t cost me any money to get in to Heaven. No fancy clothes, or shiny shoes or sparkly jewelry will do. Damn, I’m going in stark naked, completely exposed when I walk through those gates! No Ivy League education, no multi-million dollar business, no yacht in the Caribbean will gain me access to the other side of those gates either. Gee, doesn’t that place “up there” know all the hard work that I put in to getting those THINGS? Another thump on my head……IT DOES NOT MATTER!
So if not THINGS, then what do I need to put in to my suitcase to gain access through those pearly white gates? Well first I’ve got to make sure that I don’t bring any negative baggage that’s weighing me down. So in this baggage marked negative I’ll pack up all my tears and sorrows. I’ll get rid of the list I’ve been holding on to of all those who have done me wrong. I’ll shove the petty quarrels and backstabbing in to one of the corners. I’ll stuff the hurts that I may have caused and those that have been done to me in to the other corner. I’ll push the temptations that made me sinful and squish them tight before I take the key and lock this baby up.
And still the empty suitcase that I plan to take with me needs to be filled. It sits there to remind me that I came to this earth with an empty suitcase. It’s up to me then to fill it to the brim with a life time of memories. So I’ll fill it with puppy dog breathe and puppy dog kisses. It must have room for all those children who made me laugh and who showed me it was okay to giggle out loud. There will be a place for those who I have taught and for those who have taught me. There’s a place for kindness that I’ve given and kindness that has been given to me. There will be a place for all the good mornings, all the good evenings, all the smiles given and all the smiles returned. In this suitcase are all the twinkles in a lover’s eyes when he knows that I know. All the warm embraces go here too. There will be a special place in that suitcase for the memories I take with me of my first love to my last. My first kiss, the first time I blushed, my first joy…..they’ll all be in there. I will take with me the memories of all those who have been so gosh darn wonderful. For those who haven’t, well they’re already locked away in that other suitcase.
Oh Lord I do confess, I’m stumbling in with all my black and blues when I arrive at that great big place up in the sky. It just serves as a reminder of all the trials and tribulations that challenged me but never conquered me.
Each day gives me another opportunity to look for more goodness, more thankfulness, and more beauty to add to my suitcase for my journey. What about you? What are you packing in your suitcase?
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