Heaven on Earth
Jacqueline McLaughlin

If there is such a thing as heaven on earth, I have seen it…

I witnessed it in the majestic glaciers of Alaska. They are, all at once, huge, breathtaking and beautiful. In places they are the whitest white you've ever seen, in other places they are blue. Not a sea blue, not a sky blue, not a navy blue, but a blue that is indescribable, like nothing else I've ever seen before.

I breathed it in in the air of Alaska. It is all at once, pure, oxygenated, life giving and energizing. With every breath it is clear that it was made expressly for the human body. Inhaling is easy, comforting, and free from all struggles. It is like nothing else I've ever breathed before.

I was a part of it, in the wildlife of Alaska as I watched bears and eagles hunt for the abundant and life-giving salmon that were swimming upstream in an effort to do nothing more than reproduce. In one way or another they were sacrificing their lives for the lives of others, whether it be for the mammals and birds that depend on them for food or for their offspring that would eventually continue this same circle of life. Seeing it first hand is like nothing else I've ever experienced before.

I was awestruck by it as I saw whales migrate and dolphins jump playfully, oblivious to any fears, or any people nearby, enjoying the day, the sea and the freedom that they truly had. It was like nothing else I've ever felt before.

I was intrigued by it when I met people who chose to live off the land. People who spend their days hunting and fishing for food or building structures to live in without indoor plumbing, running water or electricity. It is a lifestyle I've never understood before.

I was frustrated by it when I wanted so desperately to be able to paint it or photograph it or even accurately describe it with words. But I couldn't because nothing two-dimensional can ever capture the depth and breadth and color of the three dimensional splendor I was priveleged to be a part of.

I was reminded by it that it does not have a monopoly on beauty or strength or majesty. It exists in other places for other people too.

Maybe it's in the fall, when the leaves turn vibrant shades of orange, red and yellow and the air is crisp and clean. Maybe it's in Hawaii where the warm, tropical breezes blow gently filling the air with the scent of the ocean. Maybe it's at the ocean itself where the waves rock in and out on the shore mesmerizing those who stay long enough to watch. Maybe it's in the night sky covered in blackness and freckled with stars that project hope and promise and wonder about the unknown.

Maybe it's in a bed of wildflowers, a grove of trees, a flock of birds or simply in the laughter of a child.

Wherever it is, it can be all around us everyday, in our mind, in our hearts and deep within our souls. If only we take the time to look for it and remember that it is there…