Eddie's journey in heaven is coming to a close. He is transferred from Marguerite's heaven to a place where children are playing in a river. Eddie wishes he could spend more time with her, even if it was just a few seconds. One child stands out from the rest, she calls him over. They communicate and Eddie learns that her name was Tala and she was the fifth person Eddie will meet in heaven. After Eddie escaped from the captors, he burns a hut down. Eddie saw a shadow, he tried to go in and save whoever was in there. The Captain shot him in the leg because it wasn't Eddie's turn to die. This gave him nightmares and feeling of guilt after coming home from the war. The war made him who he was even leading up to his death. We learn that there in fact was someone in there, it was Tala. Eddie learns that he did save Amy or Annie and Tala was the one who brought Eddie up to heaven. Tala teaches Eddie that it is important to move on from pain and also not to think that your life doesn't matter. Eddie thought that as a maintenance worker he didn't matter and if he died he would leave without making and impact on the world. In fact he saved many lives by fixing the rides without knowing it. After learning this Eddie accepts that he didn't waste his life. He washes the burn wounds from Tala in the river until she is the healthy little girl she was when he first laid eyes on her.
Everyone falls in love at some point, even the roughest looking people have some heart in them for other people. Eddie's soulmate was Marguerite. Admiring her since the moment he laid eyes on her. Eddie and Marguerite dated, got married, and were planning to have children but Eddie's stubbornness ruined the chances of that. One night Eddie and Marguerite fought, driving over to talk to him Marguerite got into a car accident which started the domino chain of events that led up to her death. Marguerite died at age 47, this left Eddie feeling empty and sad. The only person he really loved had just died. After going through a series of weddings and doors, Eddie meets his true love in heaven. Marguerite teaches Eddie the lesson of love. It seemed although Marguerite seemed to have gotten older and started to sag, Eddie's loved remained the same. This is true love. Marguerite was a loving wife who stood by Eddie even during his darkest hours, such as when he came back from the war. He was miserable and ignorant but Marguerite still loved him. Marguerite was that person that entered Eddie's life out of no where and then suddenly meant the world to him.
Ruby was the third person that Eddie met in Heaven. She was married to Emile, founder of Ruby Pier. Before Emile lived a simple life as a waitress at the Seahorse Grill. After marrying Emile he vowed to to build a Pier in honor of her. There was an accident involving a fire. This hurt Emile physically and mentally. After the tragic accident, Ruby wished that Emile never built the Pier. Ruby Pier had a significant impact on Eddie's life. It was the place he spent his childhood, grew up to be a young adult, worked there the rest of his life. Ruby Pier was the place were he died trying to save Amy (or Annie). Ruby shows Eddie how his father died and also gives him a different perspective on his mother and Mickey Shea. Emile was on the other side of the curtain in the Eddie's father's hospital room. She heard Eddie's father calling out his family members names proving to Eddie that his dad wasn't such a bad person after all. Ruby taught Eddie the importance of forgiveness. Eddie learns to forgive his father even though he hurt Eddie throughout his childhood and young adult years.
|
AuthorThe author of the Five People You Meet in Heaven is Mitch Albom ArchivesCategories |