Editor's Note: We received this chain mail from a dear friend and we felt we have to share this beautiful story with our readers.

This is one of the kindest things I've ever read. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Meredith and her dog, Abbey

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:

John Cali

Chief Joseph once told me the major lesson our pets have to teach us is to live in the moment and to love unconditionally.

Chief Joseph

Your domestic pets, especially dogs and cats, are one of the greatest gifts humanity has ever received. We realize you sometimes take these delightful creatures for granted—just as you sometimes do your fellow humans.

Pets are not in your lives solely for your entertainment, though they certainly do entertain you.

More importantly, pets are here as your teachers and, often, your healers.

You have a phrase bandied about much—“dumb” animals. By “dumb” you generally mean “stupid.” Or at least something less than human intelligence.

August 21, 2007

Thursday evening last week, the 16th of August, 2007, I lost the fur love of my life, my Maine Coon cat Mr. Bear. He had gone in to the vet’s to get an abscessed tooth pulled and when the blood work came back before doing the surgery it was discovered that he was in kidney distress and failure. Rather than keep him on antibiotics for the month or so that he would have left to live, I made the decision to let him go instead. He was about 15-16 years in age and had been in diminishing health for the last 6 months or so.