Cookin Out

If we have the ability to choose our heaven, I know exactly what my heaven will be like. Heaven is a big backyard cook out! All of my family and friends would be around, and we would be playing games, listening to music, barbecuing, and socializing. Under the warm rays of sun in middle America, sangria's, mimosa's, beer and cucumber water would be flowing. There would be fresh squeezed juice for the children and plenty of bones for the doggies. Red checkered table clothes would cover the picnic tables, holding corn on the cob, watermelon, potato salad, green-beans, burgers (including veggie burgers) and brauts. Fun and love would thicken the air. Volleyball, football, corn-hole, and card-games would be all around. And, of course, there would be plenty of dancing and even more laughing.

This weekend, I met up with some college friends for an impromptu cook out. We played bags, basketball, and tossed around a football. Grass, blues, and hip hop music filled my soul, conversations about the past and present filled my heart, and veggie burgers, the guys worked so hard on making just right, filled my belly. Chicago's night sky surrounded us, and in those hours of that day, I was living a little bit of my heaven. Now, that's what I call the true American dream.