According to a story making the rounds on the Internet*, a mom writes that when their 14-year-old dog Abbey died, her four-year-old daughter Meredith dictated this note to God:
Dear God,
Please take care of my dog Abbey. 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 so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love,
Meredith
The mom said she addressed the letter to God/Heaven, and Meredith pasted lots of stamps on the envelope because heaven was very far away. Sometime later, the mom said she received a package wrapped in gold paper addressed to Meredith. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called When a Pet Dies and the following letter:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. . . . 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
Whatever process resulted in this letter, you’ve got to love the person who wrote it.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
* According to Snopes.com, this actually happened in 2006 to a family in San Antonio, Texas.