Have you read Mitch Albom's book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" ? I did and although it did not seem to be the classic, which "Tuesdays With Morrie" was, it was nonetheless a moving book. It was written in a simple style and had some clever little twists that fit together into the puzzle, which made up Eddie's life.
There are similarities with the "Morrie" book, in that both books deal with the impact that other people can have on us and what is really important in our lives. As Morrie is dying, all those things we find important during our daily lives suddenly become irrelevant and all he wants is to be with his close family, friends and students. Eddie meets people in heaven who he also loves, even if he has to make up with them, as he does with his father.
The ending of "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" bears quite a similarity to the James Stewart Film It's a Wonderful Life, especially when Eddie says to the little girl Tala: "I was sad because I didn't do anything with my life". So Tala shows him the thousands of children he kept safe, by maintaining the fairground attractions at Ruby Pier, just as the angel Clarence showed James Stewart what Bedford Falls would have been like, if he had never been born. Eddie never left the Pier, except for the War, whereas James Stewart remained manger of the Savings and Loans at Bedford Falls. Both wanted to leave and see more of the world. Eddie wanted to study engineering at college and Stewart wanted to move to the big city and become a successful businessman.
In heaven Eddie met 5 people:
1. The Blue Man who lost his life after swerving a car he was driving to avoid hitting Eddie as a kid and as a result hit a tree;
2. The Captain who saved Eddie's life during the war, although he had to shoot Eddie to do it; and shortly after lost his own life on a landmine, while helping his unit escape;
3. Ruby who was the wife of the Pier founder; who told Eddie about his father's past and helped Eddie forgive his father; and who was the great grandmother of the guy who dropped the key by accident, which caused the pulley to jam, which caused the cable to snap, which had supported the car, which fell and killed Eddie;
4. Eddie's wife Marguerite - the woman who he loved and wanted to spend every minute with; and
5. Tala-the little girl he killed during the War, although he did not know, but it was an event which Eddie felt had put a curse on his life.
Just as Eddie was surprised by who he met, so was the reader. It was surprising that his own mother never appeared to him in heaven. After all she was there for him when he was young and she was the reason he moved back home and stayed to work at The Pier. Moreover she did not have an easy life with Eddie's father, who was not a pleasant man. Most readers would say that if they were in heaven that their mothers would be on the list.
It is also not fathomable how these people, who chose to meet Eddie at their favorite locations - whether they be at: Pier; jungle; diner; wedding; or at kid-filled beaches - generally chose to be alone or in the company of strangers. Many people enjoy their own company, but they also I like peoples' company and it is not imaginable that they want to spend eternity alone. It is similar to the psychological test where you are asked to describe your feelings after you find yourself in a completely enclosed bright white room with no windows and no doors. The common reaction is "loneliness!" You do not want to be alone there. Incidentally,there are people, who feel perfectly at peace in the room alone, but that can be explained by the fact that these people have had very difficult lives and are probably tired.
The idea that you would meet 5 people who would have some lesson to teach you and help you rid your soul of your worries and bitterness or regrets is nice. But that it would end with you just being united with one person, your particular "Marguerite" - does not offer that much appeal! For those who have many close friends and family - five or one would simply not be enough.
The idea of meeting people who have impacted on your life directly and indirectly is nice. Those who have spent years doing genealogical research on their extensive family trees often feel at the time that these people are very near to them. So if they go to heaven then they would be very keen to meet their ancestors. That would be more relevant for most than those people who believe they worked in the temples in Egypt in a past life. For example, I would like to meet my family! Likewise, I am sure that my Irish or Scottish ancestors, who endured famine, war and had no education, would love to be able to look at their offspring and enjoy seeing the fruits of their sacrifices. Indeed the girl Tala showed Eddie all the future generations who would enjoy the benefits of his wok at Ruby Pier. The idea of seeing future generations would appeal to me, but I would specifically like to see my son's future and his children and their children. After all if humans have such a deep desire to establish families and to pass on all that they have learned from the forefathers to the next generation, then surely they would want to see how they turn out. This was probably never the case for Eddie as he had no children with Marguerite in the book, but James Stewart was shown how his wife would have become a spinster working in the library, if he had never been born.
I would like to see all those people who knew me as a child especially my grandparents, uncles and aunts, some of whom I remember and some who saw me shortly before they died, but I was too young to remember. Then I would like all the family pets to be there: our dogs Lucy, Judy and Toby and the budgies Bobby and Joey. If you have a Collie dog, then you know as well as I that they are family too.
Although you are told you should have no regrets, I cannot help but ask myself, what would have happened, if I had accepted that invitation to go to that dance or for that cup of coffee on that particular evening, but that would be taking sneak peaks into parallel universes, which would probably cause more regrets than anything else. Although maybe in heaven you get the chance to live the life with that person, who should have been your partner, but who through time and circumstances were ordained not to be with you in this life you soul mate or other half! That is of course, if you do not get the chance through karma to correct things in reincarnated lives.
I will end by saying that the people I would like most to meet in Heaven are the people I pray for every night, who are fiends and family, living and passed on, but now and again I will remember somebody else from my past like my first teacher Miss McSweeney or my Primary School teacher Mr. O'Brien, who with a little attention encouraged me to come top of the class that year. Maybe in Heaven I could call by and say thanks!