October 11, 2024

A Handshake from Heaven

My son will make his First Holy Communion in a few weeks.  Hard to believe that the little baby dressed in white for baptism is NOW the huge eight year old I see before…  People, say that days last forever but the years fly past.  It is so true!!!

It’s crazy scary to think in a flash he will be sixteen and I will be blogging about the scary world of having a teenager… 

If you know me, you know I love a good children’s book and whenever something is going on, I try to find a book to read to my kids.  Like when we were having my daughter we read tons of big brother books.  Or when I potty trained my kids, we read every child’s book on potty time.  When my kiddos were in a wedding, I found a great children’s book to match.  You can find a children’s book to go with any topic. Of course we have every going to Kindergarten book made. Children’s books make great cards!  I would much rather spend ten dollars on a great book than six dollars on a card someone will throw away…  Thus, I have been reading lots of books on First Communion.   I found one that really touched me and I knew this would be the one I would share with my son the night before his First Communion. 

It is called a Handshake from Heaven.  My first read through the book equalled tears…  It is beautifully illustrated and has such a warm feeling that comes with it.  The text is simple and easy to read.  This book helps explain how we touch God every time we accept the Eucharist from our priest, pastor, or Eucharist minister.  “The book talks about how we touch God when we hold those we love and when we touch his gifts (flower, butterfly, puppy). But when we receive the Eucharist, God opens Heaven’s door each and every time. And nowhere else on earth can we touch a part of Heaven, except in the Eucharist. And someday, when God chooses, He will reach down and touch our hands once more, and this time, He will hold on tight. He’ll walk us through Heaven’s door and hold our hands forever because we chose to touch Heaven while we lived on His earth, every time we went to Communion.” The whole concept of touching God through the Eucharist as a preliminary experience to joining God in Heaven was just beautifully done. 

If you are looking for a “touching” book to give to a child who will be making their first communion, I suggest this one and I have read quite a few.