FRIENDSHIP

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was recently dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for
years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white marble wall along one side of the
road. At the top of a long hill, the wall was broken by a tall arch that
glowed in the sunlight.

He soon saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like
mother-of-pearl, and the street beyond the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate and, as he got closer, he saw a man
at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right
up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler
asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued
the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt
road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been
closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and
reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yes, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned
hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he
gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was
standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said "The man down the road said
that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.That's
hell."

"Doesn't it make you angry for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their
best friends behind."

Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without
writing a word. Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do.
You forward a joke. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep
contact, you forward a joke. When you have something to say, but don't know
what or how to say it, you forward a joke.

Also, to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, and you are still cared for, guess what you
get?

A forwarded joke.

So next time you get a joke from me, don't think that you've been sent just
another forwarded joke, but know that you've been thought of today and your
friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.


Know that you are welcome to my water bowl anytime.