Altered Book Entry: Heaven

The altered book yahoo group I'm in has started a monthly challenge. This month's challenge was as follows:

Prompt 1: Travel
Prompt 2: Destination
Colors: Your choice, but include a shot of orange
Technique: Your choice
Embellishment: Include a ticket

Here's my response to the challenge. I'm not thrilled with the artistic quality -- but I treasured the thought process, which I'll elaborate on below . . .
 

I've been thinking a lot about heaven lately. Often it's on those days when I'm at my wits' end with teaching and training the children!!!!!! LOL But the uncertainty of tomorrow has been weighing heavily on my mind lately. I calculated last night that in the last three years, 11 people in my immediate family (including in-laws) have suffered with cancer alone, never mind other life-threatening illnesses (like heart attacks and lung disease) -- several to the point of passing. In fact, just yesterday we celebrated the life of my Aunt Ethel. The wonderful tributes her children and grandchildren gave had me almost sobbing at the loss they were enduring, but also at the hope they conveyed in the conviction that she is now joyfully reunited with her husband and other loved ones in heaven. It's so easy to get caught up in the despair of death -- in the sadness that can be all-consuming in the loss of a loved one -- or even the THOUGHT of the loss of a loved one when something like the dreaded "C" word is mentioned. But how wonderful -- how AMAZING to know that we have HEAVEN to look forward to! And how comforting to know that we can be confident that our "ticket" -- the saving grace of Christ -- will get us safely there! That sure makes it easier to "enjoy the journey"! :)