All dogs go to Heaven... God told me that Himself. And cats too, but don't ask a dog this.

"So you think it's just a coincidence that God spelled backward is dog?," God asked me recently.  "C'mon, I gave you brains. Is the Pope Catholic? See what I mean?"

A little background: You know the author Mitch Albom? His first big seller was The Five People You Meet in Heaven followed later by The First Phone Call from Heaven. So this guy really knows, right? 

Now I'll let you in on a little secret... mine was the second call. I guess I kinda' won the lottery.

Ed. note: Confession is good for the soul. So, "Bless me Father for I have sinned, I wrote parts of this blog post six years ago. But that's ok, right God? ... God? ... God?"

And yes, I'll share that call with you, but first, a brand new, really cute dog (and cat) story:

From the Washington Post: Eight-year-old Darius Brown's sister taught him how to sew a bow tie. So he did, and when he wore it to school the next day, his school friends loved it and wanted their own bow ties, which he made for them. This small thing he shared made many of his classmates happy.

When Darius was 10, he recalled hearing of the  hundreds of dogs and cats left homeless in Florida and Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Darius couldn't have a pet in his apartment but he felt for all those animals that needed new families. So he wondered if he could help them by making bow ties to get more attention in the crowded shelters when people came looking for an animal to rescue.

With his sewing skill, he made the dogs look hilarious and adorable wearing one of his bow ties. 

It worked even better than he could hope. "We never used bow ties before'" said one worker, "and right away we saw a big difference."

Today, Darius is 14 and has made and donated more than 600 bow ties to shelters in eight states. 

"Polka-dot ties, stripped ties, ties with rhinestones... every tie is different," he says. "Even something small like a tie can help an animal get adopted because a bow tie is unique and helps bring out a pet's personality."

Like I told you, I got that second phone call from heaven. Yes, it was from God.

"Hi Jerry. This is God."

"Oh, hi God. This is really a surprise."

"Well, if my guy, Pope Francis calls regular people, so can I. By the way Jerry..."

Then I heard all this barking in the background and could barely hear God.

"SHUT UP DOGS, I'M ON THE LAND LINE (of course) WITH JERRY!" 

And it became instantly quiet.

"Oh my God, God... oops, sorry... "

"No problemo, Jerry. If I can part the Red Sea, I can surely train these billions of dogs up here with a clicker. I will say though, it is taking longer than I thought. Where is Cesar Milan when I need him?"

"I thought he died just recently."

"Don't believe everything see on the internet, My son."

"So there ARE dogs in heaven, right?"

"Of course."

"May I say 'Hi' to Snert and Hagar and Gretchen and Alix and Abby and Tess?"

"You want to do it personally?

"Uh, not today God, OK?"

"Ha ha. Good one Jerry. OK, we'll save that for later."

"Whew!

"Hey Jerry, I gotta run now. It's my turn in Stratego. I'm playing Julius Caeser, Napoleon, McArther and Alexander the Great. Bonaparte is cheating, but we all know it and there is a lot of kidding going on. Just wanted to say 'Hi'."

"Wait God... are there cats in heaven too?"

"Oh, sure, but I even gave them  free will so not even God knows... I mean I don't even know what goes on in that brain of theirs. See ya later, Jerry."

"You got it God... Oh, wait a second... God, when you say 'later,' what do you mean?

Click. bzzzzzzzz

"God? GOD?

So, straight from The Horse's mouth, so to speak, great news for those of you who have experienced one too many sad trips to the Rainbow Bridge. We'll all be together soon enough. Hmmm, I wonder if God lets Tess on His couch?

All in all, nothing beats a good cup of memories... and coffee.

I've got a book for you that could save a life. It's a good read, with relevant information. PLUS: Other personal book recommends.

In more than 800 posts, I've never featured a book, especially one that is not a classic (to make myself sound really smart), but a popular read with warmth, humor, good story telling... and just a touch of suicide.

Note: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2018, there were 48,000 deaths by suicide, more than those dying in auto accidents. More significantly, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10-34 and 4th for ages 45-54. Although I use the term silliness in describing parts of this book, it is the author's method of unraveling a compelling story.

It's the suicide element that justifies the small touch of  silliness, mixed with well done characters. It's a backward story in a way because some of its telling only reveals itself fully as you get deeper into the story.

At the end, you say, "Oh, I get it now!"

"Viewing an apartment normally doesn't turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and reveal long hidden truths." --Cafeinated Reviewer

You may be familiar with Fredrik Backman. He is the Swedish author who wrote New York Times bestsellers, A Man called Ove,  My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She's Sorry and my favorite, Us against You, which is better appreciated as a completion of his previous book with a hockey setting, Beartown.   He writes believable characters and situations that will have you reading more of his books if you enjoy the way he tells the tale, which obviously, I do.

And yes, this one involves the suicide of a stranger at the very beginning.

All of Backman's books have been translated from his native Swedish, which has me wondering, "How do they do that?" It takes more than knowing the language because of the nuances of storytelling. So maybe Backman isn't really very good but his translator is a genius and this is really his/her story. Nah! I know better. But hats off to the translators who do it so well you can't imagine how it could have ever been written in Swedish, Italian, German or any other language than what you are reading.

Now here's the important stuff I promised from the endpaper of this book. 

IF YOU NEED SOMEONE:

• The National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255.
• The Crisis Text Line: Text "talk" to 741741
• For information and support, whether it's for yourself or someone close to you look at Suicide.com and/or sprc.org
• (My insert) Starting July 16, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted 9-8-8 (on par with 9-1-1- in use now for emergencies) as the new three-digit number to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline. Why the long wait? It's the government... these things take time.

As long as I'm on books worth reading, a few of my latest good reads:

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life, is wonderful non fiction by a  really good writer, Lulu Miller, who you might know from NPR's Radio Lab and This American Life.

About the book: "Some years back, Lulu Miller disappeared down a very strange rabbit hole that led her to places neither she nor you would ever be able to anticipate. I highly recommend you follow her down the hole, because of her singular and gigantic gifts as a writer and storyteller, but also because of what's down there: love, chaos strychnine, a gun, dangerous delusions, heroic dandelions, a cow, a snorkel mask through which grander truths are revealed... this book is perfect, just perfect. It's both lyrical and learned, personal and political, small and huge, quirky and profound."  --Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and other remarkable books, all of which I have read and recommend.

Then there's this: "Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even! Why Fish Don't Exist begins with a mesmerizing account of the life of distinguished biologist David Stall Jordan--and then, quite unexpectedly, turns into so much more. Narrated in Lulu Miller's intimate, quirky voice, this is a story of science and struggle, of heartbreak and chaos. This book will capture your heart, seize you imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world. --Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus, and another great read of mine.

To be longwinded, this was one of my all time favorite books, (with 15 really wonderful illustrations by Kate Samworth), though it took me a few early pages to recognize that. It finished with great satisfaction that only comes when reading something that 'rocked your socks." (Yes, damnit, I'm old-ish )

Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions, is more a business textbook book that dares reading. It tells how subtle, sometime unintentional bias can profoundly impact people's sense of belonging and strives for a more thoughtful and understood world... one that starts on your doorstep. It's real life. And--BIG AND--it is co-authored by Michael Baran, my son-in-law, who lives and works for this better world.

 

Then there is A Promised Land, by Barack Obama, which tells in detail, how one decides to enter the political world, what it's like to campaign for office at every level, then very succinctly, what life and decision making in the office of President of the United States is like. It is apolitically revealing of the toll it takes to be "The Man" or The Woman" leader of the free world.