I’m not sure even how to talk about it. I wasn’t dreaming. I was wide awake. It wasn’t exactly a daydream. I guess it was a vision. When I try to describe it, I find that I put my hands up to my left and make a globe-like motion. This image appeared fully formed in my mind. It felt like a gift.

First a little background. In my work as a hospice chaplain, I am often with families who are trying to figure out why the patient is waiting. It occurred to me one day that the delay might be on the OTHER side. Maybe the Welcoming Committee isn’t assembled yet.

In this vision (or whatever I should call it), Lew is about thirty years old. He is standing at a workbench, deeply engaged in some kind of interesting work. A person comes to the door to his right and says “Lew, it’s time to come down to the gate. Your mother is about to come.” Lew looks over at the person and says “I’ll be there in a minute. I’m not quite ready yet.” He turns back to his work.

What delights me about this is not that Lew keeps me waiting but that he is standing and speaking – things he could not do in this life. He was so mentally disabled on this earth that we never knew what interested him. I like thinking about who works standing at a workbench -a watchmaker? A jeweler? Some other fine craftsman? I look forward to seeing what’s on that workbench that has him so enthralled.

I’m not in a hurry to get there – and Lew isn’t in any hurry for me to come – but I have one more thing to look forward to in Heaven.