Friday, Nov. 28, 2008
Larre’s Corner
Like many of you, I get tons of "pass-it-on" e-mails. Every once in a while I get one that truly catches my attention. Last week, I received such an e-mail. It’s about a 4 year-old little girl whose 14-year-old dog Abbey had recently died.
Understandably, the day after her precious pet had passed away, the little girl was having difficulties dealing with this loss and asked her mother if she could write a letter to God to help him recognize Abbey when she got to heaven. Here is her letter:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
Together, the little girl and her mother placed a photo of Abbey and her daughter in an envelope and addressed it to: God/Heaven. The little girl insisted that they place several stamps on the envelope because she just knew it would take lots of stamps to get her letter to heaven.
Then, together, they dropped the special letter in the post office box.
The story not does end here. A few days later, to the surprise of the little girl’s mother, a package wrapped in gold paper arrived, addressed to the little girl personally in an unfamiliar handwriting.
Upon opening the box, the little girl found a book by Fred Rodgers (of Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood fame) titled When a Pet Dies, along with the original letter she had written, opened the photo, and a letter to her that read:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
Now I’m sure by now, your eyes are teary, but I want to focus on the return letter. Clearly someone, not knowing the recipient personally, took the time to make a life in need a little bit better.
Readers, that is the message I hope you will take from this story. As we enter this holiday season, because of the difficult economic situation, so many of our nonprofit organizations are in need of your assistance now more than ever. Therefore, I am asking that as you look for gifts for friends and family, that you also consider making a gift in their name to your favorite organization or one that may be important to them. Cheers and best wishes to you all!
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