I'm expecting a bright blinding light and big pearly gates towering overhead, followed by a loud thunderous voice. Instead, to my surprise, I find myself smack dab in a dream I one had. Only this dream is real, and I am really here paddling in my own private pond. The dragonflies skim the surface of the translucent water, humming to their own unique tune as they chase each other across the sunlit pond. I stop for a second to take in my surroundings, for a moment the sun is shining right on me as I take a deep gulp of the crisp fresh air. I look at the liquid earth beneath my paddle. The water here is so clear that sometimes you have to look extra close just to tell there's water at all. A tiny sunfish swims to the place where the water meets the sky, hoping to catch one of those dragonflies, but darts back into the mystic below once he senses he is being watched. As he pops back in to the water he leaves a close cluster of ripples where his head once was. I look to the shore; sitting at the dock is Tiny, a dog from my childhood, eagerly awaiting my arrival.
             I jerk slightly when my canoe comes in contact with the old the dock. Before I can even stand to tie my boat to the small pier, Tiny has jumped in and is busy getting reacquainted with an old friend. I receive sweet, yet slimy, puppy kisses on my neck and lips before her attention shifts to something rustling in the bushes of the yard. I pull myself out of my little water chariot and take a step on land to look around. I have never been here before, yet I know everything. There is a speckled trail of pebbles closely pushed together, leading me to the house. The pebbles are bordered by larger stones, but not ordinary stones; each are perfectly smoothed and shined and of a vibrant red color as to shout out, "We're here!" I laugh quietly at the thought and inch my way up the path. My feet seem to glide up the two steps of the cabin porch wi...