Boy receives note from post office confirming his letter to dad in heaven has been delivered safely

A 7-year-old boy who mailed a letter to his dad in heaven received an official reply from the Royal Mail — the United Kingdom’s postal service — confirming that the letter had been delivered safely.

The boy’s mom, Teri Copland, posted a photo of the letter to Facebook on Wednesday, along with an image of the envelope addressed to his dad, James Hyndman, who died in 2014. In lieu of an actual address for heaven, Jase Hyndman inscribed the front of the envelope, “Mr. Postman, can you take this to heaven for my dad’s birthday. Thanks.”

The letter that was delivered back came from Sean Milligan, an assistant delivery office manager. It read:

Jase when he was a toddler, getting a lift from his dad, James Hyndman. (Photo: Courtesy of Teri Copland)
Jase when he was a toddler, getting a lift from his dad, James Hyndman. (Photo: Courtesy of Teri Copland)

“While we’ve been delivering your post, we became aware of some concerns. So I just wanted to take the opportunity to contact you about how we succeeded in the delivery of your letter, to your dad in heaven. 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. I know how important your mail is to you. I will continue to do all I can to ensure delivery to heaven safely.”

Copland said Jase was completely over the moon to receive the note. “I actually cannot state how emotional he is knowing his dad got his card,” she wrote. “He was overwhelmed and kept saying, ‘My dad really got my letter, mum,'” she told the BBC.

Jase and his 10-year-old sister, Neive, celebrate their dad’s birthday each year. “I’ve always told Neive and Jase, even if you can’t get anyone a present, it’s always nice to make sure you send a card at Christmas and birthdays,” Copland said, adding that the postal worker’s gesture brought her “so much comfort.”

The post has been shared more than 234,000 times and has received 415,000 reactions. Some said they were trying to hold back tears as they commented, “What a beautiful act of kindness. God Bless the person who took the time and effort to make a little boy’s Christmas one he’ll treasure forever,” and “So sweet. Full credit to Sean for going above and beyond and having the heart to respond.”

“You didn’t have to make the effort to do this. You could have just ignored it,” Copland wrote, but instead, she said, the worker “just restored my faith in humanity.” She told the BBC that all it takes is a small gesture of kindness like this to make an impact on someone’s life. “It honestly means the world to him,” she said of her son.

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