I stand at the edge of an ocean, 

But not an ordinary ocean

Its waters are crystal clear

It beckons and calls me

I glance across it,
and far away in the distance
I see a city— 

A city on the water

Shining and beckoning 

I hear singing coming from across the vast ocean,

Coming from the shining city

I listen to the beautiful voices

Singing

I again hear the ocean calling me

Suddenly an angel stands before me on the water,

Holding out his hand

He doesn’t say anything,

Just smiles at me, his hand reaching for mine 

I smile back and reach out for his hand and grasp it 

Peace washes over me like a tidal wave

The angel commands, “Come”

I look down at the water and back at the angel

I take a deep breath and step out onto the water
I realize I am wearing a white robe 

The purest of whites 

A light breeze sweeps across the ocean, 

Comforting and calling 


The angel smiles again 

and we start to walk across the ocean toward the city 


As we walk, I look down at the water below 

All sorts of creatures and coral call the ocean their home

I smile as I watch seahorses swim by


The angel stops and I stop with him

I look ahead and gasp

The last stretch of ocean is dark

The waves are big and the wind is howling 

The ocean is no longer clear and calm, but a raging storm

The angel gazes at me 

I don’t need to ask why

He’s asking me if I want to continue 

I look at him and the storm
Then a voice—
a voice more powerful than the storm declares,
“When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you”
With the voice comes a peace

I nod at the angel 

and take a step toward the crashing waves 

We continue to walk through the storm; 

I keep my eyes on the shining city ahead 

I hear chaos all around me; the waves crash all around
Inside I am peaceful 


We continue to walk

I keep my gaze over the waves and on the shining city 

Eventually, I realize the storm has stopped 

The howling is gone and all is still again 

Then I see Him walking on the water toward me

It’s Him 


The angel lets go of my hand and nods to me

I run toward Him 

He stops,
His arms reaching out toward me

I run on the water toward Him

I hear Him call, “My beloved, you are home”

I fall into His arms and sob

He holds me tightly and whispers in my ear,

“You are home”


He lets me go and peers into my eyes

“Dear heart, you are home”

He grabs my hand and turns around
There in front of me is the shining city—glorious and golden
The singing is louder and more beautiful than anything in the world
He smiles at me and I smile back,
and we begin to walk toward the city
We get to the gates—
Majestic, golden gates—shimmering in the sun
They open as we approach and we walk in

Suddenly I am surrounded by old friends and family

Laughing and shouting, 
we make our way to the center of the city
The streets are paved with gold 
and all the jewels of the world
But these jewels are different; they are brighter and more precious than anything you can imagine

He is still holding my hand

We get to a palace—a royal, splendid palace 

He looks at me again and I look at Him 

and we share at the exact same time, “I am home”



My Father and I, hand in hand,

with all of the other members of this magnificent city,

begin to sing—

Sing praises to the Father
Who holds my hand
Who calmed the storm
Who brought me home