The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of an old maintenance man named Eddie. After dying in a freak accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized at the time or not. Mitch Albom dedicates the book to his uncle Edward Beitchman. He says that he wants people like his uncle who felt unimportant during their lives to realize how much they mattered and how they were loved.
This was the first Mitch Albom book I’ve read – bought it sometime in 2004 but never got the chance to finish it.. a week ago, I found this book on my trunk and started reading Eddie’s story again. His story was close to my heart because it bore my country’s name, Philippines in several pages of the book. But that is not the only reason I loved Eddie’s story. Truth is, I learned a lot from reading about Eddie’s life and death. I learned a lot about love, happiness, contentment, purpose and forgiveness. This book is incomparable.
Mitch Albom made me cry over and over again – much like in all his books. Mitch Albom is someone I admire a lot. Hey Mitch! Thank you for making me cherish life everytime I read your books.
Speaking of life, here are the lessons I’ve learned from the five people that Eddie met in heaven. Five people who made a difference in my life too.
1st person - the Blue man from the amusement park
He died because of Eddie’s recklessness when he was 8 years old, while he was playing ball with his brother on the street.
Death
Death just doesn’t take someone, it misses someone else and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed. Strangers are just family you have yet to meet & come to know. Strangers are the ones that can make you feel good about something and strangers can make you ignore your surroundings after you have bumped with each other. But strangers play an important role in your life because without them, you will live in stillness and dormancy.
2nd person - Captain – commanding officer - Philippines
He died a few minutes after he shoot Eddie’s leg and saved him from war. He sacrificed his life for another.
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret but to aspire to. Sometimes, when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it, you’re just passing it on to someone else.
Letting go
Let go of your fears. Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them.. they move on, they move away.
3rd person - Ruby - the pier owner
She received the amusement park as a gift from her husband
Anger
Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who hamed us. But hatred is a curved blad. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.
No one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed ot it. In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did, why you no longer need to feel it.
Learn to forgive. Do not hold on to your hatred. Forgive yourself in order to forgive others who have hurt you.
4th person – Marguerite his wife
People say they “find “ love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love.
Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries the surdace and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.
Life has to end, but love doesn’t have to.
5th person – Tala -
She was the little girl that he saw engulfed in flames, but wasn’t able to save in the war, instead, he had burned her to her death
He was able to save the last child he saw on earth just before he died. He worked at the ruby pier all his life, not because he had no place else to go to, but that is where he was supposed to be. To meet children, make them happy and keep them safe.
And that is how you will find peace in your heart. Peace at home..
