Heaven Is For Real

This week: 1hr 45 min of reading ;( yea... 154 pages in

 So this book i've started reading, Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo,  is super interesting and overwhelming. It tells the story of a little boy, Colton, who is undergoing serious medical surgery and passes away. The crazy part, he survives. And not only does this amazing miracle occur, but Colton's story describes angels of God greeting and singing to him as he sits upon Jesus's lap. Colton went to heaven and returned.

 The story is retold in the words of Colton's father Todd, who explains the phenomenal events in a very creative way. The book has kept me very interested so far, through the incredible storyline as well as through Todd's writing techniques and skills.

 What I find most inviting about the story is how inspirational it is to families. My own sister as probably all of you know... had to undergo the struggles of cancer and such three years ago. Although she's doing incredible now, the shock of something like that happening can really give a family a pretty big blow. There was a moment I remember so vividly ( oh yea word choice there ;) that occurred during Larkin's second brain surgery in 2009. My mom, dad, grandparents, and myself were sitting in Larkin's hospital room as she went "under the knife" for the second time that month. About two hours in, the doctor in charge of Larkin's specific surgery came into the room with and expression resting on his face that was so shocking I can still picture it in my mind today. He showed regret, pity, exhaustion, and the only thing that would race through my (and i'm sure the rest of my family's) mind was "Oh My God, she didn't make it..." You don't want to feel that. Ever. My mom immediately stood up and said "how?" Just the simple word "how?", but it was the only word she could use to express the crazy emotions that come with that much shock.

  We later learned that Larkin was perfectly fine, the surgery was just running behind and she would probably be in to operation room for several more hours. But the main thing I'm trying to say is that shock is an insane feeling. I can't even begin to imagine just how impossible it must have been for Todd to hear the news of his son passing away on the operation table... it's just too much. The family seems so incredibly strong and courageous, and their belief in God must be over the top. I cannot wait to see how the story ends, and hear about how on earth they managed to stay together and stable through the crazy adventures they've endured.