Views of Heaven Part II

Perhaps it was not a Utopian paradise,
but more of a place where you can
gain insight into your life after you have
died through people you have loved,
encountered, or even never met,
in your life. thoughts from the book.
That's what heaven is. You
get to make sense of your yesterdays.
" From: The Five People You Meet In Heaven"
by: Mitch Albom

As for your question, I see beaches and warm breezes and not a lot of people around
(I have no idea where the rest of the people in heaven are) when I see heaven and certainly not the clouds most people see.
Unlike you I am not 100% certain that it exists but hopeful. peace,
from friend Jim, a repeat guest at Fitness Ridge, who always has a smile and a nice thing to say.






"Heaven is in the clouds. When you arrive there are beautiful gates that
you enter with a gate keeper to greet you. All your friends and family
that have passed are there.
It is peaceful. That's what I think......"
from dear friend Tami, the most generous person I know!!





Heaven...I believe heaven is going to be heaven because of the people around you. It's going to be the feeling that you have around them and with them and with your environment. Pure comfort and bliss is what I imagine...and it never ends. We experience moments like that on earth and call it 'heaven on earth' but when we find ourselves in that heavenly situation, that feeling and moment will go on for eternity. How amazing and wonderful will that be?! Indescribable! I don't know what it's going to look like or if we'll be living in houses and eating our favorite foods. But I do know a little about Heavenly Father and He is HAPPY. He wants all of His children to be happy and He knows exactly, individually how best to do that. So Heaven will be wonderful and perfect for you and for me.
from Anna, favorite daughter, student, and best girl-friend!!

When I think about heaven I think about the movie Saturday's Warriors. I don't know if you have ever even seen it. It's a pretty cheesy movie about a family before they come to earth and while they are on earth. I picture it being white and clean and everyone is always happy and excited for a new day. That we all get to be with our families and enjoy every minute together.
from Natalie, sweet daughter-in-law, mother of two boys, and talented beyond measure.


I do have a lot of thoughts about heaven. I'll just write a few out for you off the top of my head. For some reason, I've always been so excited to see what it's actually going to be like. People seem to fear death so much. But for me, I can't wait to die! Not that I'm going to do anything that would make it happen any sooner and not that I'm anxious to leave where I am now, but just that I've always seen life after death (or heaven) as a source of so many answers. The way I see it, we can't even begin to comprehend now what it will be like. It's like the two dimensional cartoon character attempting to visualize what gaining access to the third dimension would be like or for us, as third dimensional beings, trying to picture what experiencing a fourth spacial dimension would be like. We simply don't have the capacity to comprehend it. We are limited to only five physical senses that dictate to us all the information they are able to of the world around us; and thus we only get a very fragmented and partial view. But what if suddenly we weren't limited by those senses? What if we were able to completely understand all things around us as they really are? Despite size, frequency, energy type, etc. ? I think that when we leave this mortal physical body, our spirits are no longer limited. In a way, they are set free. And at this point, we will have the capacity to comprehend all the great questions: How was the universe created? How does gravity actually work? What was at the very beginning? Is there a very end? And we also get the greatest of all questions answered: What was my role in this life? Who am I? What influence/effect did my life have on others? How did others influence/effect me? In life, we have so many experiences, and many are forgotten. But without the restrictions of a mortal mind, we will remember every experience we ever had. We will not only remember all we did and why we did it, but we will understand perfectly the influence it had on others and others will perfectly understand the influence they had on us. In this way, we get the most out of life. Every life lesson, experience, and decision we had will go into giving us a full view of agency and understanding good from evil. In my opinion, this is the only way to tap into the full potential of lessons this life has to offer. And as a result of our perfect understanding of our influences and decisions, we will naturally be happy or sad for what we did. We will be able to see people we either loved and hated in this life, and have a complete understanding of every thought and action they ever had. And in turn, they will have the same for us. In this way, we perfectly understand each other and I think that's what brings a perfect love for one another; even if we were enemies. We see all that occurred from every possible angle and viewpoint. In a nutshell, I would say heaven is where we gain all of our understanding and reach our full potential; where all the uncertainties of a difficult life finally makes sense and our perfect understanding coupled with our experiences make us far more than we could ever be in this life.
from Creighton P, brilliant college student, handsome man, piano extraordinaire, and all around NICE guy!!




Heaven; I used to long for heaven because heaven meant only one thing to me - Scott. And while my love for him is just as strong, the longing for him has lessened. My heart has been released and I have been blessed to find love again.

I now think of heaven in terms of feelings. Heaven will feel joyful and light; understanding and peace will fill my soul. I have no idea what it might look like, however we are taught that the earth will be celestialized at the Lords coming. I think we might be surprised to find that we are already living in "heaven."
from Ann H., cousin, brave soul, mother of 4,and friend


interesting question. I suspect heaven feels like a good day on the farm. Lots of good work opportunities that provide lots of good interaction with fellow heaven-ites."
from Craig I, friend as far back as high school, professor at BYU, and runner among many more distinguishing traits.










I don't really know what I expect to see or experience in heaven. Whatever it is I hope to be with doing it with my family and dear friends.

If I could design what heaven would be...one important part would be to go back and experience in time lapse the creation of this gorgeous planet and see the changes in the land and water formations that took place over millions of years.
I thought of this when we were hiking in Snow Canyon this past weekend. Listening to tidbits of history that you were sharing made me wish I could watch the lava flowing through vents around Pine Mtn and fill up canyons, see the formation of the sandstone from ancient sea beds and then lifted up through earthquakes.

This visit through history would also include the opportunity to be a "fly-on-the-wall" during pivotal events of human history. I think it would be incredible to watch the original meetings of the founders of this country, to see the meeting at the Whitmer farm that restored our Church, etc.
from Brent S.; brother-in-law; doctor; great dad and friend!!


My description of heaven:

Absolutely peaceful, no conflict or worries. Everyone sincerely loves each other and there's no jealousy, fighting, or bitterness. Total acceptance and true love from everyone. There are no groups of people - we are all part of one unit. There's no self doubt or insecurity. There's lots of learning still left to do so most of our time is spent learning and teaching. I imagine it is the most beautiful place with amazing architecture, artwork in elaborate and ornate frames, gorgeous gardens, landscapes that are breathtaking, perfect 75-80 degree weather. (Maybe a tad warmer) We're never hot or cold just perfectly comfortable all of the time. Our clothes are classic pieces that are perfectly tailored to our perfectly toned and fit bodies. ;)

There are dogs in heaven but no cats. ;)
From Kim E.; cuz; new friend, mom; and a light to all that know her!!




When I think of "heaven", I usually don't think of specific things or the "decorative part of it". I think of people, like my Mom whom I still miss very much. I also think in terms of what we'll be doing,and I believe that will echo what we have chosen to do/be here ( a rather intimidating thought for me). I would have to say I would echo Joe's description - "look out your window" - although I think the grandeur of the different kingdoms or realms will be on a scale we can not imagine. I have had a few very profound moments outdoors when I have keenly felt the truth of that statement - one on a particularly dark night up a canyon looking at stars without number.
I have had thoughts of heaven when I have held each of my children as babies, and now each of my grandbabies. Right now, I can't put that feeling into words, as they are simply too limiting. But it's reflected in a belief in continuing life, progression, purity and love.
from Judy, BF from long ago, mom, grandma


I think heaven will be a gentle busy place. We will be able to do many things, visit with our family and friends and carry on the work that we enjoy, with the people who are also enjoying it. Our minds will be clear and we will be able to do many things at once and it will seem to be fun and easy.
from good friend Sue!! Wise and wondrous woman!!






And finally we have this beautiful poem, written for my father-in-law, by a dear friend of theirs, Laree Hill, just for this occasion.

HEAVEN

Just 'where' and 'what' is Heaven?
The simple word means 'peace.'
It's where our Heavenly Father lives
And all our cares will cease.

Can you imagine such a place
Where we will feel great love?
We all will be so happy
With heavenly guidance there above,

There wont be hate and envy
There wont be sadness there.
Because we'll feel the spirit,
Heavenly Father's love He'll share.

That big bad boy called Satan
Will be thrown our on his ear.
He wont be there to taunt us
We well never have to fear.

We'll se the heaaven's brilliance
WIth soft lighting all around.
The darkness will just fade away
We'll just hear pleasant sounds.

The colors will be brilliant,
The grass, the shrubs and trees,
And all the flowers blooming
We'll fall right on our knees.

The fruits will all be hanging
From the foliage and the vines,
It's..oh, so sweet and tasty
It nearly blows our minds.

The oceans, streams and rivers
Are a glorious site to see
The babbling brooks and water falls
Show God's hand to you and me.

Oh, we will be so happy
Loved ones all around us here.
No more sad goodbyes to plague us,
No more death of those so dear.

To walk and talk with Jesus
What a glorious trend of thought
Just imagine how we'll handle that
The Spirit we'll have caught.

So here and now we'll plod along,
Paying tithing, working hard.
To fill our different callings,
And keep praying to the Lord.

We're thankful for our blessings
Our little flock we'll always tend.
Our goal is just to make it,
We'll endure unto the end.

So we cannot get discouraged
We'll keep climbing to the top.
We're building for our future
Heavenly Father, we wont stop!

We'll see you soon in heaven,
We'll be knocking on your door,
We'll throw our arms around you,
We'll feel your love for sure.

"Well done my faithful servant"
We hope we'll hear you say.
It surely will be worth it,
On that bright and glorious day!