When you learn to love hell you will be in heaven. ~ Thaddeus Golas
An elderly couple had lived a long and happy life together. Although they lived in a small house and never had much extra cash, they were known in their town as real giving people. They gave of their time and their goodwill to their family which included three children, six grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. They were always there with helping hands and listening hearts for their friends and neighbours, and they were involved in community initiatives to assist the poor and in planting trees around the small town.
In the last of their golden years together they made a pact with each other. They decided that when one of them died, the other would consciously stop living right after so they could remain together in death as they had in life; so powerful was their love for each other.
Inevitably the day came when one of them was approaching death. The husband lay in bed with eyes closed, struggling for every breath. His wife sat beside him, holding his hand, pouring every bit of her love into him. The man opened his eyes and whispered, “The time has come. Are you ready to join me?” The woman nodded, clutching his hand tighter. Tears formed in her eyes. The husband slipped from this world. Then, amazingly, his wife died too.
The next thing they knew they were still holding hands, flying through a tunnel towards the brightest light they had ever seen. The light pulsated with an all embracing love stronger than they could imagine. They looked at each other and smiled, scarcely believing what was happening to them.
They arrived at and were embraced by the light. All the cares and concerns of their life were washed away and they felt nourished, even as a newborn babe is nourished by the milk of their mother. The light pulsated and rippled, like when stones are thrown into a still pond. An image began to form and the couple found they were standing outside St. Peter’s Gate. A beautiful angel dressed completely in white greeted them with a radiant smile.
“Welcome dear ones. First let me congratulate you on an imaginative ending to the last chapter of your lives. You were already known here by the noble life you have had together. I have been requested by the boss to grant you a wish before you pass through the pearly gates. Is there something you would like to see before embarking on the next stage of your heavenly journey?”
The couple whispered to each other and soon reached agreement on what they would wish for. The woman, less shy than her husband, addressed the angel, “I’m sorry if this seems impertinent, but we have always wondered what Hell was like.”
The angel smiled benevolently upon them and replied in his, dare I say, angelic voice, “Take my hands. I will take you there.” So the man held one of the angel’s hands while the woman clutched the other hand tightly. Instantly they were transported through a fluffy, cloudlike mist. The mist began to thicken and darken. A nervous glance passed between the man and the woman; but they knew they were in good hands with the angel.
Then, out of the mist, a table appeared. The table was as long as a house and it was heaped with the most sumptuous feast imaginable, truly fit for royalty. Seated at the table were men and women.
The angel explained, “These people, like you, have recently died on Earth.”
The man looked more closely and was shocked at what he saw. Each person seated at the table was eating. But as they lifted a fork or spoon with the delicious food to their mouths, the utensil and the food passed right through.
“They look so sad,” said his wife. She was right. Each banquet guest looked terribly frustrated and upset, like a child told they can’t have cake at their birthday party.
“Only on Earth do you need to eat. Everyone is nourished by light in these realms,” explained the angel to the couple. “If you’ve seen enough, I’ll take you Heaven now.”
The elderly man and woman nodded eagerly, each saddened and distraught by the scene before them. They held the angel’s hands tightly and almost instantly they were standing outside St. Peter’s Gate again. There, resplendent in white cloak trimmed with gold stood St. Peter himself.
“Welcome my friends,” he said, “Come on through.” The huge shimmering doors opened noiselessly, as if activated by the St. Peter’s voice.
The couple, bidding farewell to the angel, stepped through the gate together, into a fine opaque mist. The mist cleared, and there before them stood a long table heaped with food. The image was identical to the one they had seen in hell. People were seated at the table, but this time two empty chairs beckoned them.
“Let’s go back to St. Peter and see if there has been a mistake,” exclaimed the man nervously to his partner.
“No. Let’s go forward,” she said. “I think something is different here.
They approached the table and soon were relieved to see there was one significant difference from the banquet in Hell. The people seated at this table were laughing and joking. The couple looked closely and noticed that the people at the table were still not actually able to eat the beautiful food; but now, instead of trying to eat it themselves, each guest was handing a fork- or spoonful of food to their neighbour. They were sharing, and soon the newly arrived elderly couple was seated at the table in joyous celebration with the others.
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Radio host, inspirational speaker and health educator John Haines is the author of In Search of Simplicity: A True Story that Changes Lives, a startlingly poignant and inspiring real-life endorsement of the power of thought, belief and synchronicity in one’s life.
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