I am a closet person of Faith. What in the world!? It means that even though I don't regularly walk through the doors of a congregation, I still have Faith. Faith that we will all be Rewarded at the end of life for a life well lived. Lived in service of being true to ourselves while respecting and loving others. Two melodies with different expectations always leave me wondering what lies beyond the blue skies and what the reward will be. They are When I Get Where I'm Going and Outskirts Of Heaven. The first showcases Heaven as a magical place to be dreamed about. The second hints that with gratitude Heaven is home. The first Heaven offers hope that with grace we can all live with love and no fear. That does sound Heavenly. Just sit with that thought. A place where we shed our sins and struggles and just accept no one body makes the rules for which goodness exists. We can only demonstrate goodness with our actions. Only then will the tears we shed be only happy tears, no more angst or sadness. I love that in this version we can try things of joy and freedom, like ride a drop of rain and see what it feels like. I think it feels cool and warm at the same time, yet freeing. This Reward allows us to hug our Granddaddy's neck once again after so much time apart. This version makes me smile and gives comfort that all the struggles will be worth the Reward when the circle of life is complete. Those left behind may cry for themselves, but not for the Soul that is in Heaven because that Soul is being Rewarded in the most beautiful ways. Someday we will be able to see and experience this eternal Joy together. The other version, which is one of my all time favorite songs, tells a story of someone who is so blessed in life that they can only hope that their Reward mirrors home. He sings that his Granddad told him about the Pearly Gates and the Streets of Gold. He read about the Big Mansion in the sky. His life has taught the most important lesson. The lesson of being thankful for blessings on earth. He hopes his Heaven will not be grand, but rather on the outskirts of Heaven. He prays for a Heaven with dirt roads, green grass, honey bees and blue skies. He wants to hang his wings on a squeaky front porch swing and enjoy the shade of the trees. This Heaven sounds like Heaven on Earth. Simple pleasures and quiet living. We could all use some of that. Time for reflection, time for breath, time for counting blessings. No matter your expectations of what the Reward is, the best Reward is perspective and knowing that life and death are much bigger than us. Follow the Golden Rule "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You" and you will get where you are going with Peace in your Heart. Here are the song links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFz2F_YYzI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkXETsK1B2A What does your reward look like? Head back to the Home page to Join My Blog and receive new post updates and visit the main menu to read past post of Positivity!
