Lonely Old Lady Writes Heartbreaking Letters to God Asking to Take Her, Gets a Reply in Mailbox — Story of the Day

At 87, Olivia Silverstone was tired of life. She was alone and sad, so she turned to God with letters expressing her desire to leave this world and reunite with her loved ones in Heaven. But one day, she received a surprising reply that changed everything.

Dear God,

Today is another tiring, monotonous day in the life of this devout woman. I miss my husband and all my friends who are no longer here either. I wake up and watch the news, only to see that the world is falling apart, and I don't know why I'm still here. Please, God. It's my time to go. I'm ready for my time and what is next, even if the heaven I've believed in all my life is not like I imagined. I'm prepared for anything. Send me away.

Sincerely,

Olivia

The 87-year-old put her pen down, folded the letter in her hands, and grabbed an envelope. This was her life now, sending letters to God every single day and begging him to take her. In her mind, it was time to go. Her life on Earth was done, as far as she was concerned. She didn't even like the snow in Minnesota as she used to in her youth.

Olivia read who the sender was, and her jaw dropped as wide as possible.

She still had unending and unyielding faith, but did it matter anymore? Olivia was not sure. Her days were the same except Sundays when she begged God directly at church to take her from this world. But as blasphemous as it might sound, the older woman started to believe that he wasn't listening.

But maybe, if she kept trying, he might heed her concerns and give her what she wanted. Therefore, she started writing and sending letters.

Once her latest message was sealed and addressed, she went to her mailbox, and coincidentally, the mailman, Sam, was right there, delivering her bills and other nonsense.

"Mrs. Silverstone! Another letter?" he asked with an easy smile she had grown to recognize.

Sam seemed to be the kind of person who looked at the world with a glass-half-full kind of perspective. She used to be that way, too, because of her faith. But not anymore.

"Yes, I'm trying to get him to listen to me," Olivia responded, giving Sam the letter.

"Well, mail to heaven is a little tricky, but I'm sure the USPS is doing their best," he said, adding a bit of humor to the conversation.

She grinned and nodded at the mailman, who was probably in his 30s. "I know it seems funny, but when you get to my age, you might understand a little better," she replied before saying goodbye to him and heading back inside.

***

Although Olivia wished God would listen, she was alive and well for many days. But she continued writing letters. Sometimes, she wrote about the things she missed the most, like the hydrangeas her husband would buy on their anniversaries. But most of the time, she continued to beg for an end.

She also got used to Sam and their pleasant conversations in the morning. It was not much, but she had no one else in her life. He was the one person she saw almost every day at that point.

One day, Sam wasn't there. She thought she might have missed him, so she simply took out her mail and placed the latest letter into the mailbox so Sam could pick it up the next day.

Once she was back in her house, she flipped through the envelopes and frowned after spotting something new. Olivia read who the sender was, and her jaw dropped as wide as possible. It was a letter from… God.

Dear Olivia,

It's not time yet. I have been watching and listening. But it's not your time. You still have a lot of happiness to experience on Earth. You just have to watch out for it and open the door to it.

Love,

God.

Olivia had barely finished reading when there was a knock at the door. Sam was right there. But her eyes didn't widen at his presence. They widened at the bouquet of hydrangeas he was holding.

"Hello, Mrs. Silverstone," he started with a shy smile. "I've been reading your letters. I hope you don't mind that I decided to answer. I also read that your husband gave you hydrangeas, so I thought I would bring you some."

Olivia's mouth was still wide open, but she needed to ask something important. "Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I never had grandparents. Perhaps it's because I think everyone should be reminded that there are many reasons to keep living. Anyway, I don't want you to spend your last days begging for the end. I wish you would try to live happily and fully, knowing that your time here was valued and well-remembered," Sam explained, shrugging his shoulders at the end.

The older woman covered her mouth with her hand at the sudden rush of feelings overwhelming her. She tried to contain them for a few seconds and finally gestured for Sam to come in.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked, smiling widely at him.

"That would be delightful," he answered, politely inclining his head at her.

Sam visited her often afterward and invited Olivia over to his house so she could meet his family, becoming closer to them than she ever expected.

And when she went to bed every night afterward, she knew that God had listened to her words, but he knew better and sent her what she truly needed.

What can we learn from this story?

• God may not answer your prayers in a way you expect. But it'll always be better. Olivia begged and prayed for God to take her to heaven, but he knew what she really needed instead.
• There is always so much more happiness to experience. You just have to open the door to it. Olivia did not expect how important Sam would become to her and knew it was a gift from God.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an older woman who discovered that the letters she received from the war were not from her son.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.