We have been Raptured...

All the flap about the rapture taking place this past Saturday has been rather humorous, in my view. Even if I thought that there was an iota of truth to it, I still have to wonder if heaven would be any better than what we have right here. I bet the flutter of all those angel wings would get irritating after a while, and all those white robes would get pretty boring pretty quick. But I also bet I will never know.

It is sad that there are people who need to believe that there has to be something better than our lives right here. What does that say about their lives? Of course, life is never easy for any of us. We all--rich or not rich, educated or not, employed or not, healthy or not, anything at all or not--we all face unhappy circumstances we would rather not face. Our challenge is not to eliminate these things, which would be futile anyway. The challenge is to learn how to live with those times that are not what we would wish. 

I will admit that I do not always find coping with life an easy task. The only rapture I ever expect, however, is the rapture I will find right here under my own nose. It is not rapture unfettered by pain and suffering, nor will it be based solely on joy and wonder. Rapture here on this earth is based on life with all its bumps and warts, with all its silk and gold,  and in all the amazing moments are are alive on this truly wondrous planet.