I've been looking forward to this afternoon all week. It was forecast to be sunny and there was a very low tide at 3:51 pm (-1.64 feet). And I am here to tell you it did not disappoint. I was out for hours. I explored tide pools I've never explored before and was rewarded by seeing dozens of sea stars and eight (!) gumboot chitons, survivors of the crazy winter storms that have been pounding the coast.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, the light got sharper. The blues were bluer, the greens greener, the pools like mirrors reflecting the sun. And so I found a bench above the Great Tide Pool and sat. I spotted whale spouts about 100 yards offshore, just because the day wasn't perfect enough. I thought, "I hope heaven is like this." And it occurred to me that I was in heaven at that moment. The veil is so thin.
This morning, I served at the funeral of a former parishioner. And so, as I was sitting on that bench, the words of Psalm 23 made their way to the forefront of my mind, and I prayed that psalm over and over as I watched the water and felt the sun on my face and the cool breeze on my back. "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Today and every day, and when time ends, even then.
Heaven is whenever and wherever we notice it. Wishing you heaven this day.