Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven (by Mike Dawson)

Dear Mitch Albom,

It’s not often when I find myself interested in a book, let alone interested in reading. However, once in awhile I’ll find myself faced with a book that I get in to right from the beginning, one of those books just so happening to be none other than your The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I enjoyed reading this book all the way from page one to the end of the epilogue. This book has changed my perspective in a lot of things in this world; including how I view the world as it is, the people in this world, and the role these people play in each others lives including my own.

Right from the beginning of this book I found myself thinking about how everyone that I’ve met in my life and are acquainted with now have and are affecting my life in some way. I guess I took a more detailed look on influences of other people on my life. So instead of looking at the broad view of influences I took a turn down a path of discovery, your book being my guide to this untouched territory. I started going over specific people who changed my life in a greater way than the others, relating it to your book in how the people Eddie met in heaven contributed to who he was then; whether it was a good or bad influence. In this I was able to identify some people and events in my life that have altered the turnout my future. In doing this I got a sense of greater knowledge of the world because everything that I analyzed fitted together like a great big puzzle and it was amazing, a little scary, but amazing. I thought about how what if I never met one of those people, or if an event in my life never happened. Would I still be who I am today? Would I be here writing this letter to you? Thoughts like that can be scary sometimes but they can also be exciting and challenging.

So in reading your book I was able to think about how people that I know have played a role in who I am and who I will be in the future. I have also learned to cherish life and the people placed in front of you, for they could be messengers from the big guns up stairs, trying to teach us a lesson. It is up to us whether to accept their teachings, for they could lead to what the outcome of your future will be. This book has taught me to think twice about opening my mouth towards someone, because I might regret it in the future and it might even alter how my life looks like in the future. I really enjoyed your book and now I have a completely new perspective of the world and the purpose people are given other people for influence.

Sincerely,

Michael Dawson