Empty Pockets
A gentle reminder that the greatest legacy we leave behind is seldom written on paper.
The reception hall was far grander than he’d imagined. White marble stretched towards glowing gates bathed in warm golden light. The shiny floors reflected towering columns that seemed to reach forever.
Behind a magnificent desk, an elderly angel waited beside an enormous leather ledger. A polished brass plaque on the front simply read:
WELCOME TO ETERNITY.
The man gave his name.
The angel nodded and leafed through the ledger.
“Very good. Now… your receipt?”
“My what?”
“Your receipt.”
“I don’t have one.”
The angel frowned sympathetically.
“Oh, dear.”
The man searched his pockets.
“I never kept receipts.”
“Ah,” said the angel. “Do you have your daughter’s sixth birthday card?”
“Em, no…”
“A photograph from your wedding day?”
“Gone…”
The man’s confidence faltered.
St Peter closed the great ledger.
“My dear fellow,” he said kindly, “we’re not that interested in paper.”
He rested a hand on the worn leather cover.
“The question was never whether you kept the receipts.”
A smile spread across his face.
“It was whether anyone else did.”
The great doors opened.
A silver-haired woman stepped forward.
“You probably don’t remember me,” she smiled. “I was the little girl from next door.”
“You taught me to ride a bicycle.”
An elderly neighbour followed, tipping an imaginary cap.
“You fixed my gate and wouldn’t let me pay you.”
Then came a nurse.
“You visited every Tuesday when no one else did.”
Finally, a beautiful woman stepped from the gathering.
She was just as he remembered her from their happiest years.
His wife.
She slipped her hand into his.
“You made me laugh every day for forty-seven years.”
The angel nodded towards them.
“Every kindness leaves a receipt.”
As they walked towards the gates, a newly arrived soul appeared.
The angel smiled.
“Did you keep the receipt?”
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Before you go…
Join the Inkwave Club for occasional stories, writing tips, and a complimentary copy of Garth's Little Book of Remarkable Things.
The door is always open.