Angel in the Post Office

If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a sucker for animals. Currently, I’m trying very hard not to get attached to Gus Gus and Jacques, the two mice from my girls’ class that came to live with us last night. Long story short, their class had a hamster named Wilbur. One of the little boys in the class knocked over Wilbur’s cage one day and, unfortunately, Wilbur met an untimely demise. About a week later, DH shows up at the school with two mice in a cute little mouse condo. He swears one of the guys at work brought them to him, but that still sounds a little fishy to me. Anywho, he took them to Ms. Tammy to replace Wilbur and, since their daddy brought them, Sarah and Livvie got to name them… favorite current movie is Cinderella… Cinderella’s two best friends are the little mice Gus Gus and Jacques. Are you following this?

As luck would have it, Ms. Tammy has now decided she probably shouldn’t have two little mice in her classroom, no matter how elaborate their mouse condo, so when I got home yesterday afternoon, there they were…on top of Isabelle’s crate. I’m sure Izzy can smell them when she’s in her crate, though I think DH decided that Kitty and Savannah would be less likely to terrorize them up there, and, of course, they'd have that nice view of the aquarium. So that means our household menagerie now includes one dog, two cats, two fish, six hermit crabs, one starfish, two mice, and a yard full of fiddler crabs. Thankfully, the girls have yet to catch any of the marsh rabbits that live next door and often visit our yard. So, all that said, here’s the absolutely wonderful animal story I received via email today.

“This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service. Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my four-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, so 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 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

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God in 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 front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

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 am wherever there is love.

Love, God.

Okay, now go get your kleenex, and thank God for children, animals and angels in the post office. Like this post? Click here to sign up for free weekly email reminders.