Melinda Slade

I decided to head to the beach for the end of the beach season since this is Labor Day weekend and boy was I surprised.  There were so many openings in the motels that rooms that are usually about $100 a night were just $50 a night.  There’s not nearly as many people down here as usual.  I guess it’s just another sign of the lousy economy.

Here’s a story that some of you might have gotten by email.  Just in case you didn’t get it or haven’t see it before, I really wanted to include it in my blog because random acts of kindness aren’t shown very often.

Meredith and Abbey

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

A lot of local stores are collecting ‘school tools’ for families that can’t afford to buy all of the necessary items that the children need for school.  With all of the budget cuts, parents are having to provide more and more school tools for their children.

I think it’s a wonderful thing these businesses are doing to help the children and the schools out.  Without all of the necessary items like notebook paper, pencils, pens, colored pencils and more, they won’t get the best education they deserve so it’s up to us in the community to help.  I hope they have something like that near you.  Please donate to this wonderful cause!!!!

A good friend of mine said that she lost about 3 pounds a week taking ephedrine. She told me that they are reformulating it so that it will be on the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices Policies so that it will not have the bad name that Ephedra had.  That’s great.  If it worked for her, I think I’ll give it a shot and see if I can’t shed these 12 extra pounds I put on.

Tomorrow is Independence day and I hope you have some plans for the day.  First of all, remember what the day is for and not just a day of fireworks and cooking out.  It’s a day we celebrate our Independence but in order to get that Independence, lives were lost.  So we’re celebrating the men and women that lost their lives fighting so that we could have the celebration we will have tomorrow.

This is a poem being sent from a Marine to his Dad.. For those who take the time to read it, you’ll see a letter from him to his dad at the bottom. It makes you truly thankful for not only the Marines, but ALL of our troops.

We all came together,

Both young and old

To fight for our freedom,

To stand and be bold.

In the midst of all evil,

We stand our ground,

And we protect our country

From all terror around.

Peace and not war,

Is what some people say.

But I’ll give my life,

So you can live the American way.

I give you the right

To talk of your peace.

To stand in your groups,

and protest in our streets.

But still I fight on,

I don’t bitch, I don’t whine.

I’m just one of the people

Who is doing your time.

I’m harder than nails,

Stronger than any machine.

I’m the immortal soldier,

I’m a U.S. MARINE!

So stand in my shoes,

And leave from your home.

Fight for the people who hate you,

With the protests they’ve shown.

Fight for the stranger,

Fight for the young.

So they all may have,

The greatest freedom you’ve won .

Fight for the sick,

Fight for the poor

Fight for the cripple,

Who lives next door.

But when your time comes,

Do what I’ve done.

For if you stand up for freedom,

You’ll stand when the fight’s done.

By: Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert , US Marine Corps

USS SAIPAN, PERSIAN GULF