One time a man died on the same day as his dog. And he went up to Heaven, and he came to the pearly gates. And there St. Peter said to him, Be welcome here; enter and be at peace. Your deeds and your heart are pure, and you are fit to enter Heaven. And the man made as if to enter, and the saint said, But of course, only men may enter here. Your dog must remain outside.
And the man therefore turned away, and he walked down the road until he found a humble cottage by the side of the road, and a woman standing in front of it, dressed in rough linen. And he said, What place is this?
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And she said, Oh, this is Heaven. And the man said, Wasn’t that Heaven down the road? And she said, Nonsense, that’s Hell. Hell is for people who would abandon their best friend.
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And she said, Oh, this is Hell. And he said, Then that down the road was really Heaven? And she said, Oh yes, of course. Past that door there’s joy and angels and music and every good thing you ever heard of. But they’ve got standards in Heaven. Nobody ever gets Heaven unless they wanted it more than anything. You always end up giving up something precious to get into Heaven.
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And she said, Oh, this is Hell. And he said, It sure doesn’t look it. And she said, Oh, you’ll learn soon enough. Beyond that door there’s fire and flame and torment and every bad thing you ever heard of. But Hell looks different to some people if their best friend is there.
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