Elana

  STEPPING OUT into a lavish, open-walled living room, the decorative pillowy furnishings and pastel colors give you a sense of secure ease; so inviting. A gentle breeze of warm fresh-air came filtering through. Tropical plants grew right through holes in the floor.

  A section of the east wall was closed off by the rich purple curtains. They seemed harmless enough. Suddenly you notice the bright figure of a person approaching from the other side.

  Throwing the curtains wide open, a radiant Angel steps through and opens her wings wide. Opening her arms out at her sides also, she never stops smiling. Her wings stretch open a little more when she says, “There’s a treasure trove of wondrous experiences for you here. Would you like to see my horses?”

  At your first impression, you think, ‘This brunette is quite a thin Angel. She’s obviously gluton-free.’ “Perhaps we could just stay here a while and talk,” you tell her.

  “Talk?” She repeats. Her smile diminishes just a little.

  “Sure! We could get to know one another and tell each other stories,” you let her know.

  “Oh, you want to discuss your past? Share your sins? Well, this isn’t the place for that. This is Heaven! Now you can forget your past and your transgressions. All that stuff is over now. Whatever used to tie you down is now your unlocked shackles. Cast them off… You’re free!” This Angel has a western feel about her and she laughs and laughs. Her merriment lights up the room with a spectacle of colors. Then she says, “I know all about you, but who am I, you wonder? I’m Elana.” She could laugh with just her eyes alone, but her smile was radiant and her dimples full of glee. You begin to feel infected by her enjoyment like it was something contagious.

  “Men delight in the beauty of Angels, but they rarely admit how deeply such beauty actually touches them,” she finally said.

  Taking you by the hand, Elana leads you to one of the open walls of the room. Together, you gaze out at the golden beauty of the land nestled within the valley. Horses gallop across the distant fields. “A lot of things you experience on earth are to prepare you for your life in Heaven. Come, ride a horse with me.”

  Though it seemed like a silly suggestion at the time, you find yourself nodding and agreeing to her suggestion. She could have asked you to cast yourself off a bridge and you would have done it.

  Riding the horse wasn’t the experience you expected it to be. The horses in Heaven are so kind and gentle. As they gallop it is like they are floating over the land. Never had you expected to explore Heaven in such a manner as this. Elana leads you over the mountains and through the valleys where you see the most amazing sights of waterfalls and celestial abilities. “This is your true intended home!” Elana tells you. Looking at her you realize, Heaven is a sight to behold, but Elana also is a sight you could just look at all day long. The way her hair moved with each gallop and that smile. Life and love is in the light, and the light penetrates everything. You look for your shadow but there is none to be found. Darkness simply doesn’t exist here.

  Then Elana takes you along the streets of gold in the great city of God, and right to his majestic temple. There you bow down and understand fully what she meant when she told you this was your home.

  “Ask yourself; am I a human dreaming I am an Angel, or am I now an Angel only dreaming I am a human?”