Some folks think we are, basically, just a bag of bones. Flesh and cartiliage packed onto a skeletan that one day will crumble into, yes, a bag of bones. Whenever I meet an atheist, or someone who really believes this, I take a step back…..because I understand that there is a valley between us, that is hard to bridge….but, I also reach out a hand, when I can.

Many on the other side of the valley won’t outstretch their hand to me. I make them angry. Especially when they see my hand reaching across the valley. They think I am stupid for believing there is an Afterlife….they call me a fool. What should I call them? I don’t feel the desire to call them anything, actually. I figure that one day they will get the biggest shock of their life. They will cross over, and be stunned. For some, that will be the only way they will ever see the Light….AFTER they cross over.

I believe the reason we are given bodies in this world is to accomplish certain tasks, or missions. Also, for a chance to fix some transgressions. This earthly world of ours is the vision of all of us put together…so there is obviously a need to do some renovations!! The reason, I believe, that the Other Side, or Heaven, is so incredibly peaceful and beautiful is because there are so many Souls there who saw the Light before crossing, and chose to follow it on earth, and also there are so many Souls over there who, when faced with all the good and bad they did on earth, have decided to ask for forgiveness, or atonement, and have begun their true work. There are no distractions in Heaven. There are a thousand or more distractions on earth.

In the Universe of stars is God. All intelligence, all knowledge, held together by the glue of God. God is pure Love. He wants what is best for all of us. His love is like no other, and all of us are faced with that someday….that unconditional Love that puts us to shame, for all the mistakes and silliness we did in our earthly lives. But it is that true Love that heals us, and helps us to press on. How can anyone say no to God….to unconditional, pure Love. Those on earth who do terrible terrible things to others have said no to God…..

Unfortunately, we are stuck with language here on earth. To some, the word God makes them freak out.To others, the word Heaven sounds outdated. I think it is safe to say that we all understand, more or less, the word Love. If we remember nothing else in our lives, let’s hope we all remember that we come from a place of Love, and will return to a place of Love…..and that, in the end, it is our bag of bones that gave us the chance to fulfill that promise….

With love,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2012 Jennifer Avalon

Some places we stay in and visit we have fantasies about after we leave, that we could maybe live there on a permanent basis, and make a go of it. Other areas we drive through can have the same affect on us. Then there are magazines that show log cabins, or modern condos, in which we can see putting our legs up on the ottoman and spending the rest of our lives watching the flat screen from a hilltop, or in a valley, or near a beach. Most of us are rarely completely happy no matter where we live…..so then the question begs…is it really the PLACE that makes us happy, or the “concept” of a place?

When we think of mountains we think of fresh air and pine trees….when we think of valleys we see farms and fishing in streams and small villages…when we think of beach we think of sunshine and sand in our toes, and the trunk always packed with the picnic basket and beach blanket. When we think of city we think of modern high rise and great restaurants and pubs on every corner. Most of these “dreams” usually don’t include getting up in the morning and going out to find work, meeting new people, learning new terrain, and leaving behind what is familiar.

They always say never marry someone until you have summered and wintered with them…..perhaps the same is true about moving, unless you absoloutely have to. Maybe visiting a summer tourist place in the winter is a good idea, and a winter place in the summer…..that way when the leaves are off the trees and there’s nobody at the beach, you can see how the place really operates….and if you’re on the mountain in the heat of summer when the bugs are out and about, you can see if you can really stand it, citronella candles notwithstanding. And the city? Well, you better like noise, which some people do, and need. Each of us has a comfort zone inside, and that is what we all hope to find….

The “concept” of a “dream land” is universal, I believe. We are lucky enough in America, despite the economic and weather changes, to still have fragments of the “American Dream” left….there are still unexplored areas both in our minds, and in our hearts. We have seen the impossible become possible…we know, in our very DNA, what it feels like to start something new. We live in “Dream Land,”….and when we can get our heads out of our you-know-what’s, we can see that we are better off than most of the rest of the world. Anyone who tells us otherwise, be suspicious of. Yes, we definitely aren’t perfect…governments are made up of imperfect people….but, we have something that many around the world would give up their homelands for….we have Freedom, and the chance to dream without, basically, anyone interfering.

So when you get depressed and think we live in a country that is one step away from complete meltdown, turn off your television and go do something creative….because that is where dreams are made of, and that is the stuff of US…..we ARE Americans, the Dreamers….in Dreamland.

Love,

Jennifer Avalon

© Jennifer Avalon