I stand at the edge of an ocean
But not an ordinary ocean
Its waters are crystal clear
It beckons and calls me
I gaze across it and far away in the distance
I can see a city
A city on the water
Shining and beckoning
I can 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
And suddenly a peace washes over me like a tidal wave
The angel whispers, “Come”
I look down at the water and back at the angel
I take a deep breath and step out onto the water
Suddenly 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 ocean below
All sorts of creatures and coral call the ocean their home
I smile as I watch sea horses swim by
Suddenly 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 howling 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
Suddenly a voice—a voice more powerful than the storm whispers,
“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 gaze on the shining city ahead
I hear howling all around me; the waves crash all around
But inside I am peaceful
We continue to walk
I keep my gaze over the waves and on the shining city
Suddenly 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 gazes into my eyes
“Dear heart, you are home”
He grabs my hand and turns around
There in front of me is the shining city
Beautiful 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—beautiful, 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 beautiful than anything you can imagine
He is still holding my hand
We get to a palace—a beautiful, splendid palace
He looks at me again and I look at Him and we whisper at the exact same time, “I am home”
My Father and I, hand in hand, with all of the other members of this beautiful city begin to sing
Sing praises to the Father who holds my hand
Who calmed the storm
Who brought me home
