A while back I was sent an email with a great little story, I'll try and re-tell it here.

It seems that an old man and his dog had departed this life together and found themselves walking along a dirt road. After walking for quite a while they came to a very high white wall and after following it for quite a ways they came to a large golden gate covered with precious gems and stones and sitting at the gate was a man. The man and his dog approached the man at the gate and asked; "Is this Heaven?" and the man replied, "Why yes, it is and welcome to you sir come on in". and the man and his dog started to walk through the gate when the gatemen said, "Oh no, you can't bring the dog in, dogs aren't allowed in here!"

"Well", the old man said to the gatemen "if my dog can't come in then neither will I" and the old man and his dog continued walking on down the road.

Eventually they came to a wooden split rail fence and after following that for a distance they met another man at a break in the fence. The old man asked the man at the fence if he had any water because they were very thirsty and the man said that just inside the fence was a waterpump and he could drink his fill and the old man asked if his dog could have a drink as well and the man at the fence said "Yes, you'll find a bowl at the pump for your dog too". After drinking his fill the old man told the man about heaven down the road that wouldn't allow his dog to come in with him.

The man at the fence then told the old man; "That wasn't heaven, this is heaven. That was a test of a man to see if he'd leave his friends behind".


Chris.