Letters from heaven: A myth to some, but the reality for a 4-year old Bristol girl.
Maci Hopkins shared a special bond with her best friend and beloved dog, Kendal. A dog her parents says she played with endlessly.
“She’d be building Legos on the floor and Kendal would come in and just knock them down,” said Donald Hopkins.
That didn’t stop them from playing though.
“She loved that dog,” he said.
Sadly, Kendal passed away last week. To say goodbye, Maci wrote Kendal a letter.
“It said, 'I miss you Kendal,' and it was a drawing. Like a stick figure dog,” said Maci’s mother, Crystal Hopkins.
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Stamped and addressed to heaven, Maci hand-delivered the letter to the mail carrier on duty that day. Kenneth Rodin was filling in for the regular carrier but knew exactly what to do when the little girl explained why she wrote the letter.
“I took it and I said I will take the letter and send it up to heaven for you,” said Rodin.
Twenty-four hours later, a letter appeared at the Hopkins home. While there was no return address, it was clear where it came from. The man who delivered it said the only place further he’s delivered a letter from was the North Pole.
“To be honest I was like, oh wow that’s pretty cool. I delivered a letter from heaven,” said the family’s everyday mail carrier, Dave Rooks.
The letter was a response from Kendal.
“When we received it back I thought, of course Kendal would do this,” said Maci’s 11-year old brother, Landon. “Because she’s the perfect dog. If we get another dog there’s no way we could replace her.”
Kendal can never truly be replaced. Her response from heaven is proof of that.
“It made me feel happy,” said Maci, holding the sign and carrying the biggest smile you could ever see. “I love her.”
