Page 23 - 20-21 Annual Report

Thoughts on Heaven

CLARE CONALL FURAY '91
I like to think about heaven, because it’s really an escape from stress. In
my heaven, all the best parts of life would greet me every morning. In
my heaven, I wouldn’t have to deal with Chemistry tests or headaches
or hurt feelings. Instead every day would be a jolly-holiday. There would
be lots of snowy mornings, and thick, wonderful books, and family tag
football games on crisp November afternoons, and pears so juicy they
drip down your chin. There would be fried chicken, and ice cream, and
steak, and piping hot pepperoni pizza. The nights would be dazzlingly
clear and starkly black. Heaven would be full of gardens, abundant
in dew glistening red roses, trillions of violets, and honeysuckle.
I think it would be fun to set up any kind of situation, fantasy or real life, and
act it out several times, trying out different actions. (I know what situations I
would like to relive!) In heaven, we would talk to many intriguing people. (“Let’s
see, I have an eight o’clock appointment with George Washington today, then
luncheon with Sarah Bernhardt, then an afternoon walk with Charlemagne.”)
In heaven I would get to read sequels to all my favorite books. In heaven
there would be a grab bag of talents. If I felt like being a fabulous ice-skater
for a day, I could check out that capability just like a book from the library.
Heaven would have school, except it would teach fun subjects—
like photography and art and how to dress for success—and
every day would be like the first day of school! We would wake up
with that eager anticipation, and it would never wear off.

Heaven would be full of joys like fresh, hot strong coffee; cherry trees; roller
coasters with no lines; jazz bands; boys that are madly in love with me; Beatles’
songs; stained glass windows in chapels with soft incantations of prayer on
March mornings; red convertibles playing loud music on highways; concert
halls featuring a single black grand piano with a yellow rose on a stage in front
of a hushed audience; dusty treasure-filled attics just waiting to be explored;
toboggan rides down long hills—ending in a jumble of arms and legs and
laughter; toasted marshmallows on burnt sticks; motor boats on large lakes.
Heaven would have work to be done: extremely messy rooms, letters
waiting to be typed, and snow crying out for a shovel! Every morning each
person would do a job to clear his system for a leisurely afternoon.

In heaven no person would ever, ever ridicule someone else. One could dislike
someone else, but everybody would know exactly how people felt about them.
There would be mail, but no junk mail. Little children would
often get fat letters from friends or sisters or uncles.
Yes, heaven is nice to think about. So God, wherever you are,
I’ve taken the liberty of doing a little planning for you...
*Written by Clare Conall Furay ’91 during her time as a Cor Jesu student. Clare died in
an accident in 1996 when she was 26 years old. Her family established the Clare C. Furay
Scholarship at CJA in her name. Read more about her life and legacy on page 18.

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