By: Joseph J. Mazzella
My grown daughter, Beth, comes over to my house every day to help me take care of her handicapped brothers, but she never comes alone. She always brings her furry “children” with her. Her four dogs added to my two makes for a noisy, barky, sometimes fun, sometimes chaotic household but one that is always full of laughter and love.
This morning during a quiet period when all of the dogs were napping I tried to get a little work done on my computer. Beth was sitting on the couch next to my desk with her little brother snuggled up next to her. Her smallest dog, Lexie, lay snoozing across her shoulders. I was glancing at an e-mail when I saw the date on the bottom of my computer screen. It was getting close to my Mom’s birthday again. It had been 29 years ago since she died of cancer. Still, the passage of the years didn’t make me miss her any less. I looked up at her picture on the wall and felt an ache in my heart. What I wouldn’t give to know she was alright. What I wouldn’t give to have just one more hug and kiss from her. I felt my eyes start to moisten a bit. Then it happened.
Quite unexpectedly Lexie opened her eyes and looked into mine. Then she bounded off Beth’s shoulders and jumped into my lap. She put her paws on my shoulders and quickly began to lick my chin. I laughed, petted her, and smiled at this minor miracle. Somewhere deep in my heart I knew that my Mom had nudged Lexie awake and whispered in her ear that I needed a good kissing to remind me that she was fine and that I was loved and watched over from above.
This isn’t the only time I have gotten kisses from Heaven either. We all get these little reminders every day that God loves us and is watching over us. From a sunset, to a butterfly, to a child’s laugh, to a penny on the pavement, to a puppy’s kiss they are always around us. Most of us, however, never open our hearts wide enough to recognize them. Don’t ignore your own kisses from Heaven then. Let them widen your heart and life. Let them strengthen your faith and love. Add your own kindness, your own love and your own light to them as well. Use your days here to make many moments of joy because that is where Heaven and Earth meet.