Personalized Heaven

My thoughtful friend, May, gave me an amazing book for my birthday. It’s Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The book made me realize several things about life, death and beyond.

Eddie Maintenance is the hero in the book. He learned life’s lessons in his after life. He died in an accident in Ruby Pier where he works. But before he can have his own piece of heaven, he must first meet the five people whose lives intertwined with his.

First he met the Blue Man who told him “there are no random acts, that we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.” This is why you should be aware on how you treat others. What I do or say will affect others even if I am aware of it or not. I actually have a mantra about it, that everyday is an opportunity to be a blessing to someone.

Then his captain had been also waiting for him. What he shared with Eddie is that “sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It is something to aspire.” I think it was my parents who sacrificed a lot for our family. My mom and dad worked really hard to support my sister and me. I got everything I need and want because they had been selfless. I had not made a major sacrifice in my life, but through Eddie’s captain and my parents, I learned its’ true meaning.

The third was Ruby, who explained to him why his father died and demanded from him that he must finally forgive his father. I am not a person who easily forgives and forgets. How can I forgive someone who hurt me and made me miserable? And then I remember that I also sinned against others. I also inflicted misery and pain to others. No one is perfect, so I need to give that person another chance, I need to forgive him and forget about it to have a clean slate.

Then he met the love of his life, his wife Marguerite. She reminded him that “Life has to end, love doesn’t.” Nothing is permanent in this world, not even the people who are important to us. They will leave us one day, or we might go on first. But that is not the end of it. They will be with us physically, but their love and memories will be seared in our hearts.

And the last door led her to a girl named Tala. Finally she revealed to him what was his life was all about. It was keeping the children safe in Ruby Pier by being the maintenance.

After reading the book, I reflected that life is a journey that we should enjoy. Everyday is a gift that we should be thankful of and make the most of it.