As my father’s life wanes, he has three things at his fingertips: his phone, his bed control, and his tv remote. A second tv remote was purchased just in case the original one is lost. I usually man the second remote when I visit, instead of telling him to turn the volume up or down or to pause the tv in the event of some salient moment, or a nurse’s visit.

As I sat there yesterday, controlling the volume, I mused on the “home” icon. You know the one. A tiny square with a triangle at the top.

Isn’t the universal understanding of this icon interesting? A child’s first drawing often is of their home. They make sure to have the right number of windows, a chimney (if there is one), a walkway, and the presence of trees and flowers. Perhaps there is someone waving from inside the window or standing outside the door to welcome you home. These ideas are universal and foundational to our sense of self.

My thoughts drifted to our heavenly home. What would that icon be?

If we all had a common understanding of what our heavenly home looked like, how would we express it with an easily recognizable icon?

What would it be? And would it be universally recognized by everyone?
Just wondering.