Meredith's Letter from God...

I found this in the blogosphere and wondered how it might strike my ex-JW friends...

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This  is one of the kindest things you may ever see.
It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful 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 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 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/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’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

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I admit to being touched by this person's attempt to assuage Meredith's sadness, considering I too have a pet very dear to me.  But I also have to admit that it bugs me a bit.  I suppose it's leftover JW-Child-SantaClaus-Story issues, but now this girl has been led to believe that this letter came from the Almighty Creator of the universe. 

Your thoughts?

My opinion is that the spirits of animals go to the other side, just like those humans.  In my opinion, that part is true.  I think that it doesn't hurt kids to believe stuff like this or in santa clause.  They gradually find out the rest of the stories as they get older.  Believing positive stories like the above helps give them form good thinking habits.  THINKING HABITS are just as real as are other habits that we have.  Bad thinking habits lead to depression and a host of other self defeating actions.  Good thinking habits help people get more out of life and enjoy things more.  No guarantees, of course, but that is the tendency.

S

I can accept your opinion that believing in stuff like Santa Claus is okay; how would I know anyway?  But when you say, "Believing positive stories like the above helps give them form good thinking habits," doesn't it remind you of the same reasoning others apply?

-Heads of Government:  "Look, it doesn't hurt anyone for us to fabricate untrue, positive stories.  The little people don't need to know.  It'll help them feel good about their country."

-Nathan Knorr addressing the JW Governing Body in the late 60s (only partially dramatized):  "Okay, it seems Jerusalem didn't fall in 607 after all--which means 1914 is wrong too.  Ninety years of teachings down the tubes!  Do you realize this topples the entire foundation of our authority?!  Look, Ray, we need you to punch as many holes in this reality as possible.  Maybe 1914 isn't correct, but I believe that Jehovah is using this organization, so it doesn't hurt the little, dirty people for them to continue believing in that date.  They need us to help them form good thinking habits--and this is good for them."

Don't blame anyone for disagreeing with this; just tastes funny to me.

I don't see how it's any different than you helping her to write and send the letter in the first place. .  .

Ahem... This was NOT me.  LOL!  I just posted from the blogosphere. 

'But when you say, "Believing positive stories like the above helps give them form good thinking habits," doesn't it remind you of the same reasoning others apply?'

I speaking w regard to kids, young kids.  When they get older, they figure it out as just being cute stories.  As people get older, they need to progressively shed more and more of the comfortable stories, and the fears that they were fed by others or that they told themselves.  They need to learn how to find more and more truth.  Unfortunetely, many still accept the bs from govt and religious leaders.  See the difference?

S

Wow, God really sent her a letter.

BTS

Confession:  I love your anecdote about Knorr and Franz. I'd heard something similar before this, perhaps from a R. Franz book?

Len