Recently our youngest granddaughter had a sleepover with us.  We took her to a children’s museum.  On the way home we started playing a game we had played with our children when they were little to pass the time on a road trip.

My husband started by saying “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to take….”  He named something you would take on a picnic that started with the letter A.  I then repeated what he said and added an item starting with the letter B.  He then had to repeat those two items and add a third item starting with the letter C.  We continued going back and forth going down the alphabet.  Our young granddaughter loved it!

A few days later as my husband and I took a drive to a restaurant in another town that we love, he decided to play the game with a twist on it.  (He said this game was good for us old folks as it would help keep our minds sharp.)  Besides, it is fun.

The twist he gave us was “When I get to heaven I’ll see….”

When we finished the game (we had to skip the letters X and Z) I thought back over the things we had mentioned.  Interestingly, the items we mentioned were not mansions or harps or things that people often associate with heaven (although I’m not sure any of that is Biblical).

Rather we named our three grandchildren who died before we had the privilege of holding them in our arms.

• Jacobi
• Precious
• William

We named family members that we cherished and that died way too young.

• grandparents
• Keith
• Lonnie

We also thought of many that we have read about in the Bible that we would love to meet.

• Barnabas
• David
• Moses
• Naomi
• Obadiah

For me that is what will be the wonder and joy of heaven.  The first joy, of course, will be to see our savior face to face.  But then just think of it:

• To finally meet those precious grandchildren and share stories of our life and how we loved them.
• To share with our loved ones the memories we had and also began a new relationship, one that will never require us to say goodbye.
• And to meet all the saints who have lived before.
• Can you imagine sitting with Moses and hearing him tell in his own words how he felt when he saw the burning bush?
• Or Ruth when she left her family and home and set out with Naomi to Israel?
• I’ll have a few questions for Paul about exactly what did he mean in some of his writings.
• Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr, William Tyndale and all the millions of people we have never heard of but who, like us, have stories to tell and experiences to share.

Some people think heaven will be a dull place.  Not me!  Since I am by nature a history bluff I will be busy talking with all those who have lived long before me – to hear in person their stories rather than just reading about them in a book.

• Do you believe in heaven?
• Are you looking forward to heaven?
• What/who do you want to see when you get there?