A bereavement counsellor has said a Royal Mail letter confirming a boy’s birthday card to his dad in heaven had been delivered safely was ‘lovely.’

BACP member Stacey Hart believes the touching letter to the seven year old will help him create new, happy memories; an important part of grieving for a loved one.

Jase Hyndman postcard a birthday card to his dad, who had died four years ago, with the message “Mr Postman. Can you take this to heaven for dad’s birthday. Thanks.” written on the front of the envelope.

The youngster, from West Lothian, received a letter from Royal Mail to say the card had been delivered safely.

Galactic objects

Assistant Delivery Office Manager Sean Gilligan wrote: “This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven.

“However, please be assured that this particular important item of mail has been delivered. Royal Mail’s priority is to get our customers’ mail delivered safely.”

The Facebook post with Royal Mail’s response to Jase has been shared more than 200,000 times.

Stacey, who works for child bereavement charity Grief Encounter, said the response was a “really lovely thing for them to have done.”

Treasured memory

She added: "After a person has died, it’s really important that children create new, happy memories. This letter will stay with that little boy for a long time, he will treasure that memory right into adulthood.

"It’s important that a child knows the truth at home, in this case that his dad is not coming back. But if he believes his dad is in heaven, and people respect his belief system, something like this is a really nice thing to do."

Jase and his 10-year-old sister Neive have marked their father’s birthday every year, following his death in May 2014.

Stacey commented: "It’s really important to mark birthdays, anniversaries and keep thinking about the dead person. It helps keep the memories alive. Continuing to send a card at birthdays or visiting the grave can be a good thing for a family to do.”

 

If you want to seek advice or help about grief or bereavement you can find a BACP counsellor or psychotherapist via the BACP’s Therapist Directory.