The longer you live, the bigger the list grows. I'm referring to the citizens of Heaven. My family said good-bye to our dad fifteen years ago on May 20, 2012. He had directions to Heaven stashed away in his laptop. We thought he checked in early when he disappeared for a joy ride with his wife, Molly, and we couldn't find him. It scared the Hell out of us. Dad was on Morphine but didn't know it because we crossed the name off the label. And he didn't really know the neighborhood where he was visiting.
"I have the keys to Heaven," dad told me a few days before his disappearance. How does a man who can barely walk escape in broad daylight? I'm still trying to figure out how he managed to sneak out for one final joy ride with his wife who was in a wheel chair and could barely move. I'll have to wait for the answer since both of them are now citizens of Heaven.
It's painful to lose a loved one. They say time heals all wounds but I'm calling bulls**t. My sister was clutching the road map to Heaven in her hands while in intensive care two years ago. She made a U-turn just as the pearly gates where coming in to view in front of her. Her doctors are calling it a miracle. If you ask her how close Heaven is, she'll tell you, "turn right and go straight ahead."
I prefer to follow another of my "dadisms" from long ago, "take your coat off and stay a while." I'm sure Heaven is a great place and it's filled with some amazing people I miss dearly, but there's work to be done. I have unfinished business, including an overdue book to publish. Stay tuned for the rest of the story. And please pause for a moment to salute all the citizens of Heaven. Have a great day.
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