Category Archives: Life in general

For my book club we are currently reading Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo. And not to give it away (the title pretty much gives you the gist of the book), it’s the true story of a little boy who recounts spending three minutes in heaven while he is having an emergency appendectomy. Months after the surgery he starts telling his parents little tidbits about his experience there (three minutes seems to last a lot longer in heaven, something the Bible alludes to). I read it Sunday (it was a quick read) and I kept turning to Simon and saying things like: “This is unbelieveable.” “This book is amazing.” “I just can’t believe this.” “Wow, I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this.”

It’s really just an ordinary story about an extraordinary thing. A little boy named Colton, who was just slightly younger than Liam, visited heaven and sat on Jesus’ lap. He proved to his parents that he was there by telling them what they were doing while he was in surgery (something he wouldn’t have known unless he saw it separate from his body) and describing what heaven was like in his own words but in a way that corresponded directly with scripture using imagery not commonly taught on a 4-year-old’s level (i.e., unfamiliar to him). He also recounted meeting his great-grandfather and his little sister who his mom had miscarried before be was born, both strangers to him. It really is an amazing story. And yet it’s almost easier for me to accept it as fiction than as an actual reality (which it is).

I believe the Bible and I readily accept that, during that time, humans on earth saw heavenly beings or had heaven revealed to them in visions and dreams, so why can’t I accept that God is doing those very things in the present time? That a little boy can go to heaven and come back to tell his story? God’s interaction with people didn’t stop when the Bible was written or at some undetermined moment in time since then. He is ever-present, I think it’s us who have become more distant, more cynical, less likely to notice Him or His presence in our lives. And certainly more skeptical when we hear stories of others who claim to have seen heaven or heard the voice of God.

We cannot possibly comprehend the full nature of God or heaven and what will happen when we meet God face-to-face in His eternal kingdom. But we are human and we so love to explain things away, to understand everything about everything. We need to stop doing that and to embrace a childlike faith, to let go of the notion that we need to fully get everything. I think (or hope) in doing that, God will reveal more about Himself to us than we ever could have imagined; we won’t be getting in our own way. Yes, life can suck and bad things can (and do) happen but God loves us and He is with us always; He is there when life sucks and when bad things happen. He’s not going to turn away when we question Him or vent our frustrations, as the author says in the book, God already knows how we are feeling so there’s no point in trying to hide it from Him. The point is: He is there in heaven and here with us. We are never alone, never unloved.

It’s not that I don’t believe heaven is real or that something like this can/could/did happen, it’s that I don’t always live like I believe it [that’s a topic for a whole different post.] Heaven is for real. I need to keep remembering that, to keep living a life that reflects that truth and to have faith like a child.

You need to read this book, you probably think you don’t, but trust me, you do!

[Warning: The link above is an Amazon Associates link!]

Simon works second shift and I work in the mornings until he has to go to work. This means we spend a whole lot of time with our kids on our own (they do go to daycare one day a week so Simon can get things done around the house, a.k.a., sleep) and we need to entertain them. I’m all for letting kids entertain themselves but that doesn’t always work and it also doesn’t help with expending energy or a change of scenery.

If I could reasonably put my kids on a treadmill and let them run, I would so totally do that. They have endless amounts of energy. They are boys. They love to run and scream and run some more. Most nights right before bedtime they are running from the kitchen to the livingroom and back again. [Note to self: It would be handy if our future house had a circular path in it, something built around a central stairway, with a pathway void of furniture and pointy bits.]

But a treadmill seems a bit dangerous considering Jack, and often Liam, still runs into walls; large, stationary walls that have been there all their lives. I’d imagine having to explain treadmill burns would grow a bit tedious very quickly. But the boys still need to run, see: endless amounts of energy. So we leave the house.

Mostly we go to parks. As long as it’s reasonably warm and/or sunny, we try to get outside. Sometimes this means going while it still cold enough to require winter clothing, but as long as there’s no snow or mud, we’ll go. We take what we can get in Michigan.

Often we meet up with friends so the moms can chat while the kids run around. Our favorite park is Frog Hollow – it’s entirely fenced in, except the entrance and the play equipment is strategically placed away from that entrance. The ground is woodchips or padded outdoor material and there are bathrooms – both key for small children. As an added bonus, there’s a Sonic between the highway exit and the park so we plan our trips to coincide with “happy hour” and get away with slushies for the whole family for $3! Win-win!

Sometimes we just stay in our backyard, while it’s not the most fun, it’s preferred to staying inside. Though we avoid the hour between 2 and 3 when the potty-mouthed high schoolers are walking home after school (kids these days). Liam would be bound to pick up bad language, plus he yells “Hello” at anyone who walks by and then George has to lose his mind barking. It’s much better if we stay inside at that time.

This winter Simon spent a lot of time during his mornings with them at the new mall (Rivertown) and the old mall (Center Point) at the play places. [Side note: Rivertown is at least 10 years old and we still call it the “new” mall and now our kids call it that even though they have no idea there was a time before the malls.]  I opt to take them to Meijer or Costco for our outings – plus plenty of  playdates. Costco is great because we get dinner with a smoothie and samples and split a piece of pizza for us all  and get our bulk purchasing done. Whoot!

Another favorite is Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies, run around the children’s garden, float boats around the Great Lakes and visit our favorite ginormous horse.

And then in the summer and fall we’ll get to go to Schwallier’s Country Basket which is our favorite apple orchard for kids. It’s all free except the cow train and paying for feed for the goats (and the mandatory fresh donuts and cider). But there are tons of animals to pet and look at, apple orchards for running through and a great play area for kids with a barn slide and corn box (think sandbox with dried corn).

Gotta do something to pass the time… it works for us!

I took this picture of Liam in the bathtub a couple of days ago, trying to get a funny shot of his hair in a faux hawk. Instead, what I ended up capturing was a glimpse into his teen years. Despite his skinny little body, his face is void of all childish looks and he looks the oldest I’ve ever seen him look. It just kills me.

We discovered last night that he’s four-and-two-thirds now, and soon it will be four-and-three-quarters and then FIVE! He’s starting young fives or kindergarten in the fall (which one, we’re still not certain) and while he’s been in preschool for two years, I can hardly believe I have a child who will be in “real” school. When did he grow up? It’s so cliché but the reason things are cliché is because they are so true. Where does the time go?

I know he’s still a relatively little kid but he’s growing up so fast. After the same amount of time passes that he’s now been alive, he’ll be approaching 10! It reminds me to stop and cherish these moments, even when I’m wishing he would just stop talking for one minute so I could hear myself think, because soon he will be that teenager and not as willing to talk to his mom (though I suspect Liam will never stop talking – he seems to enjoy it more than anyone I know). I think this is why people end up having more children, because suddenly they realize this magical part of childhood is fleeting and they want to extend its shelf-life. 

I certainly feel the pull to have a third child (Simon, not so much and he’s certainly key in making it happen which means we’re pretty stuck at 2) but I am also reminded that it just keeps getting better. Soon we’ll be able to go to the grocery store or a restaurant without whispering threats under our breath about good behavior, we’ll be able to let our kids out of our sight without fear of what destruction they will cause (though I know bad behavior extends far beyond the toddler years with far more serious consequences) and we’ll be able to go on vacation without having to give ourselves a million pep talks and hours of advanced planning and packing lists. It will get easier and harder all at the same time and while I suspect it will be better, I’m not quite ready for it yet.

So this morning, rather than jumping up and getting ready, I cuddled on our bed with my big boy, revelling in the fact that he was holding my hand and resting his head on my shoulder. These moments won’t be around forever.