A little piece of Heaven

Today was a gorgeous day in the south. We have many sunny warm, often hot days here, but today was perfect. The sky was clear blue, a deep azure blue that looked as though it could have been sliced in two with a sharp piece of glass. The temperature was 70 degrees and the sun was bright. A minimal breeze fluttered around us as if it were our own personal fan and kept us comfortable. I was sitting by the lake at our local park with my three year old son and told him that I think we were seeing a little piece of Heaven today.
Since my mom died, I have been reading Randy Alcorn's book, 'Heaven'. I read it off and on, for short periods of time. One thing that I wanted to learn from his book was what my mom might be experiencing in Heaven. Mainly, what will heaven look like? Everything that Dr. Alcorn has read and studied has led him to believe that the present Heaven will look just like our current Earth, but with more vibrant colors, perfect shapes, perfect weather, everything will be exquisitly proportioned and fit to our needs in the present heaven.
After reading this passage I am noticing little glimpses of heaven here on earth. My favorite glimpse has been watching my boys play together and laugh thier loud, rolling, cackle laugh that my mom used to love to hear over the phone. When I watch them laughing together this way I feel like I am getting a little piece of Heaven.
Another glimpse would be when something I hear or see causes strong feelings to emerge inside me and I get goosebumps on my skin. This is when I feel the Holy Spirit stir within me. I imagine in Heaven, my skin will tingle with that sense of joy and expectation all of the time in the precense of Jesus.
Watching my sweet boys sleep at night, cuddling them in my arms, snuggling up to them and stealing kisses from their soft plump cheeks. Those all feel like Heaven.
I was reading a post on facebook that my friend's son had made her laugh really hard, the good kind of belly laugh where tears come to your eyes, and I realize that when that happens, it is a little piece of heaven. Laughter has been rare for me the past three months. I had been longing to have a good belly laugh to soothe my soul. My wonderful friend Jaime came by to see me the other day and gave me a ton of good laughs! We still have a chandelier hanging in the ceiling of the room that was once a dining room, but is now part of the playroom. She hit her head going back and forth in that room 3 different times! Each time, instead of inquiring about her wellfare, I fell to my knees with a belly laugh that made tears come to my eyes. I laughed so hard that I had to tell her I was sorry for not worrying about her head! Of course she laughed too, and the kids caught on to our laughter and pretty soon my house was filled with laughter! It was a beautiful sound. I realized then that I was getting to hear what Heaven must sound like. A chorus of laughter brought on by the ultimate joy of being with our Creator and our Saviour for eternity. And then I felt blessed.