Heaven is a place that is hard to fully imagine. Is it full of white puffy clouds, the way it has been portrayed in storybooks? Are you welcomed by the voice of Morgan Freeman? Are you put in some game show outside the golden gates where you have to answer one final question to gain access? I don't know, but my mind can't help but wonder if there is some close association to our earthly personas. Because of my active imagination, I have a picture of it in my mind. It looks something like a vista we would see in New Zealand, perhaps a field of purple and yellow flowers blanketing an undulating hill that leads down to a calm phosphorescent blue lake. Since we lost our friend Melissa Albin yesterday, my view of heaven seems even more welcoming. Up there, they are very lucky to have her for a perfect angel has come to light. She looks the part, because she has spent her life playing the role of angel better than just about anyone I know. A beautiful woman in white sits criss cross with a circle of little children around her. The children sit and pick at the daisy shaped flowers as they await their story time. She asks them how their day is, listening fully as she did when she was here. A small child looks up at the beautiful angel and says that she misses her mommy. Seeing her sad face, Melissa holds up a magical book and opens it. The little girl comes closer because she wants to see the details. The little one takes a flower and slides it into the nook of the angels ear as she cozies into her lap. The angel's wings gently wrap around the little one making her feel safe and loved. The images in the book move, much like in Harry Potter. Melissa expresses the thoughts seen in the images that are familiar to the child who gazes into them. The children in the circle lean forward to get a closer glimpse into the little girls story. Somehow Melissa is connecting the little girl to her family that she misses, telling her that the girl's brother is learning how to ride his bicycle without his training wheels. Wide-eyed, the girl looks into the book and sees and image of her brother riding and her mother running arms-stretched out, close behind smiling a proud smile. The little girl smiles and puts her head against the beautiful angel. She is feeling connected to both heaven and earth.
Melissa, will you be our connection? Will you help us connect to something far greater than what we are capable of here on earth? You still have the ability to transcend what feels disconnected by finding a way to bring us closer. Your's is a presence that will always be. I have no doubt in this. We love you.
22 Comments
Heather Ram
9/5/2013 11:01:55 pm
Very touching, Jen. She was and continues to connect.
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Julie Fox Annecchino
9/5/2013 11:11:32 pm
I loved this so much. You have a gift, and thank you for sharing it. Melissa has always been an angel on Earth and now she is back home. She will be missed terribly by so many. God bless her family.
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Sheryl
9/5/2013 11:18:42 pm
Beautifully said! I picture her reading to children too and peering over the clouds checking in on her family she loved so much too. I think she had a special gift that will last forever. She truly was an angel on earth and now God has welcomed her with open arms. Thank you for sharing this. Beautiful!
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Ann Breen
9/5/2013 11:19:12 pm
Thank you for putting into words and pictures what many of us are feeling and thinking.
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Ann Kearney
9/5/2013 11:20:06 pm
Very touching and beautiful words, Jen .
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Lynn Fraulino
9/5/2013 11:50:19 pm
Beautiful
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Emily Mendini
9/5/2013 11:50:56 pm
Beautifully said and so very true. Melissa was an angel here and now they are blessed to have her in Heaven. She touched so many people's lives and I will miss her everyday.
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Angela Marschall
9/6/2013 12:11:46 am
Beautiful and so true. That is how I see it.
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Lori Helmedach
9/6/2013 12:50:10 am
Absolutely beautifully written. sadly to many leave this earthly place far too soon. I pray for her family and friends.
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Keri Millo
9/6/2013 01:24:48 am
Jen....beautifully written for a beautiful woman.
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Joanna Bodner
9/6/2013 06:44:36 am
Thank you for sharing. So beautifully written.
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Linda
9/6/2013 07:37:59 am
Thanks Jenn, you made me feel a bit better.
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Sherri Ahern
9/6/2013 11:57:42 am
Beautifully written Jen
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Dawn Mendoza
9/6/2013 01:01:23 pm
Beautiful Jen... As always your talents have brought the beauty out in others that most of see but cannot express. God speed for Melissa's joy. Please send our love and support to everyone.
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Min Ludecke
9/6/2013 09:37:54 pm
Rebecca and I are shocked and deeply saddened at her death...we have no idea what happened. Melissa was a wonderful person, always ready with a smile...Beautifully written ..our prayers are with her family
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Wendy Kane
9/6/2013 10:32:15 pm
My heart goes out to everyone who was touched by Melissa's generous heart.
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Leslie Korzon
9/8/2013 12:21:09 am
This was so beautifully said....
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Susan Viccaro
9/8/2013 08:27:43 pm
Your comments touched my heart.
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Sally Dwyer
9/9/2013 12:36:35 am
You have captured the true essence of our angel Melissa and have brought us all comfort....
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Jean Fairchild
9/10/2013 04:34:08 am
I'am a frequent visitor at the Durham Library, and did not know Melissa personally, but when ever I would run into her at the library, she always had a smile on her face and a friendly hello to any one she would see, including myself. Rest in peace Melissa, you are truly an angel.
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Jere Adametz
9/30/2013 12:45:36 am
You always know what to say, Jen. Especially when I myself can not find the words. The Durham Fair was fun this year - as always. But it was different. I missed seeing the Albins working together in a booth - or simply walking the fair grounds with their kids. There were constant reminders as I saw Melissa's photograph as i walked the fair grounds in a couple of places.....and I am pretty sure she was the sunshine shining down on all of us as we all continue with our lives here. My heart continues to go out to Mark, their kids and family.
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Jere
9/4/2018 05:04:43 am
Nearly 5 years.......and I still miss my friend, Melissa. sigh.....
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