Heaven's Corner

Somewhere in Baguio City is Heaven's Corner—a cozy place where one can commune with God or with the people He has assigned to write about Him.  With a flip of a page, here and there, you could read all about His grace and His mighty acts in many books.

Heaven's Corner is a Christian bookstore that opened its second branch on Saturday at SM.  It was the reason I went up to Baguio where I enjoyed the cool air that doesn't come from consoles powered by electricity but from nature powered by the Almighty.

In the short dedication ceremony, the pastor reminded us that Heaven's Corner is a blessing from God, who is the Source of all good gifts.  It must therefore exist to honor and give glory to Him.  We do not own anything, we are simply caretakers of any business He entrusts to us.

We prayed that every reader who enters the place may likewise be blessed by Him.

A kiddie show followed.  Teacher Cynthia, owner (rather, caretaker of God's bookstore), read “Half and Half” to the children gathered there.  And then, a surprise! Mateo, the puppet, appeared and spoke his lines in the story!

 
Mateo then interviewed me, to the delight of the kids and their parents.  Free books were given away to brave kids who came forward to answer questions and introduce themselves.

For the first time since the “Oh! Mateo” series was launched, four Mateos were in one place all at one time:  Mateo, the puppet, traveled all the way from Manila in the OMF van; my nephew Mateo who inspires the adventures of Mateo, the book hero; my brother from whom my nephew got his name; and then  my late father, the original Mateo, who was very much in my mind that day.  

The event had the same scenes that are re-enacted in many places in the country —wide-eyed kids lined up for their books to be signed, parents assisting them in the process, 'hellos' from new friends introducing themselves, and the OMFLit staff making sure everything is done in clockwork precision. 

But there was something awe-inspiring about the idea of a corner in heaven. 

In my imagination, it's an airy place with clean, crisp wind caressing your cheeks as you converge with the little children Jesus loves; and in the same tableau are parents standing in the periphery, grateful for being chosen to play important roles in these children's lives.

Oh, in heaven's corner—how awesome it would be to there someday!