Friday

This Will Restore Your Faith

Did I mention I'm a devoted fur mama? Have I told you that I have feared since the day I brought them home, the day when I will lose my angelic fur babies? Have I lost a pet before and has it crushed me? Yes, it has. Will I be a complete mess when my first baby (my fur baby Gigi) goes to the Rainbow Bridge? I'll be worse than a mess. It's bloody dreary to think about before kicking off the weekend, but I read something today that I had to share with you guys. And, in order to share I had to give it some context, so blame literary rules for that depressing intro. Here goes...

Our 14 year old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could and she dictated these words:

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 swim and play with balls. 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.





We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside of the front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey and Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her 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.


I'm not an overly religious person, but I am spiritual. Stories like this fill my heart with pride, joy and compassion. The tears that glide slowly down my cheeks are tears of happiness and hope. Hope that more people will spread the kind of love Meredith, Abbey and God have. Make what you will of the story. I believe every word.

What do you believe in?

* I found this on Facebook. A friend of mine posted it as a wall photo. I don't know where it originated *

2 comments:

Kerry said...

Aw, this brought a few tears to my eyes and I read it out to B.

His Dad worked post office returning children's letters to Santa, and would sometimes do something extra special for those kids that clearly had a harder case. It's nice to know there are people out there who still have such big hearts!

Anonymous said...

I'm PMSING and at home on the couch with my gfs and I began reading this outloud and started crying! Lol thanks sharing gf.