My Idea of Heaven

Someone forwarded this to us, and it struck me as better than most.  The story can be found in quite a few places on the Web, but never with any attribution.

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.  He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."  The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the Traveler asked.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.  As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?  Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

*  *  *

Leaning against a tree, reading a book:  I knew right then where we were.

Comments

[Rod]

The story is the plot of an old Twilight Zone episode. I just saw it on TV a few weeks ago.

[meade]

First time I've come across this sweet little story. Thanks A! Left me with a tear and a smile.

"...the folks who would leave their best friends behind"

I've never known a dog to leave a friend behind. But humans, now that is a species oftentimes cold and heartless. So, in heaven, the ratio of dog to human must be about a million to one, huh? Yep... sounds like heaven to me.

BTW, based on my neighbor's rescued foxhound and adopted starving alley cat who is now fat, safe, and happy - a dog and cat who eat and play and sleep together, each truly the other's best friend - I'll have to wager that there are plenty of purring kitty cats in heaven too.

[Icepick]

I've never known a dog to leave a friend behind.

You just haven't known the right dogs! My sister currently has a dog that is your very best friend ever when he meets you. The thing is, when someone else comes through the door five minutes later, he'll be their best friend ever, and forget that he ever knew you. I forget what the breed is, but they're apparently known for that. If they run away, they'll take up with whoever they meet and forget that they spend years living with you. They're not evil, they just have extremely short attention spans, and no memory whatsoever.

[amba]

Overbred -- no wolf left.

[PatHMV]

Icepick... I was watching a cable show one day where they set up hidden cameras in your house, and the family watches as a reformed burglar breaks in and "steals" all your stuff, to show how lax most people are with their security (at the end, they buy the family alarm systems, put in more door and window locks, etc.). In this one episode, the burglar climbs in through an open window over the kitchen sink. The family dog, an Irish setter, maybe, was overjoyed to have someone coming home in the middle of the day to give him attention. He followed the burglar all through the house, jumping up on the bed so the burglar would pet him some more.

The most crushing moment for the family was when the dog followed the guy out the door and jumped in the getaway van with him, as he drove off. Dog was wagging his tail the whole time, happy as a clam.

[karen]

Irish Setters- amazing. I knew on once named Rocky- he was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Icepick- sounds exactly like my 1st husband...

[Icepick]

Karen, did you try having him fixed?

[meade]

Look. Wanna get to heaven, the REAL heaven?

Ask not what your best friend can do for you; ask your best friend if he'd like a bowl of water.

[karen]

ROTFLMAO- @ 1st i thought you meant the dog- then i was thinking you really meant the ex-husband.

I doubt it would have worked w/either- esp the ex. I don't know how much stock real puts in genetics over evolving morality, but some things just never change :0).

My best friends are cows- and a couple fo horses- i'd need a trough. I know God would have one.