Eddie gets to find out why with the help of five very special people who await his arrival in Heaven. He learns important lessons, including that everything is connected and that love never dies.
Poignant and beautiful, filled with unexpected twists, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven reminds us that not only does every life matter, but that every ending is also a beginning—we only need to open our eyes to see it.
"In 7 Lessons from Heaven, Dr. Mary Neal shares more about her inspiring near death experience and God's profound love for us. Her powerful testimony and the practical advice she gives on accepting God's love, forgiveness, and trusting Him completely is life-changing and should not be missed."
Notes. Marguerite teaches Eddie his fourth lesson which is the power of love. She tells Eddie that although people may eventually pass away, their love will endure even after their death. Although her life ended before Eddies, her love for him endured and will continue to forever.
Lesson 5: The purpose of life. From his own perspective, Eddie had a disappointing and unspectacular life. He thought he didn't live to his potential. And, he thought his life was a complete failure.
In heaven, Ruby tells Eddie the true story of how his father died saving Mickey, and teaches him the lesson of forgiveness.
Eddie asks why the Blue Man is his first person, and he informs Eddie that, when Eddie was very young, he caused the car accident that killed him. From this, Eddie learns his first lesson: there are no random events in life and all individuals and experiences are connected in some way.
Ruby saw all of this because her husband, Emile, was in the hospital bed right next to Eddie's father. Eddie's third lesson is to let go of anger and forgive his father. He finds himself back in the diner where he saw his father. He tells him that he forgives him by saying "it's fixed" (144).
Throughout the novel, the ocean represents both destruction and new beginnings. Powerfully beautiful and yet dangerous, it is a constant at Ruby Pier.
5. Tala: Eddie's life had a purpose; he kept children safe at the pier.) 3. Is it possible that Eddie's Five People each teach him more than one lesson? (Yes, it is possible that each person taught Eddie more than one thing.
The kicker of it all? Eddie's final words to Dustin: "I love you, man." If those words weren't already bringing on the waterworks, Dustin tearfully replies "I love you, too." And then Eddie is gone. The impact of those words in that moment could not have been more perfectly heartbreaking.
Eddie's breathing had changed and doctors said he didn't have much time left. She described Eddie's passing as coming in "slow motion." "'I love you' are the last words Ed says to Wolfie and me, and they are the last words we say to him before he stops breathing," Bertinelli writes.
WHAT WAS THE LAST LESSON EDDIE LEARNED? TALA TAUGHT EDDIE THAT HE DID SAVE THE LITTLE GIRL. SHE ALSO TOLD HIM HOW HIS LIFE HAD MUCH IMPORTANCE, HE KEPT CHILDREN LIKE HER SAFE.
Eddie and Marguerite got married but never had children. Eddie's stubbornness ruined their chances at adoption - Marguerite got in a car accident while driving to reconcile with him after a fight, and the subsequent medical costs meant that they could no longer afford to adopt a child.
He died from a heart attack, caused by the shock from a young Eddie running into the street after a lost ball on his birthday. The Blue Man teaches Eddie that all lives are connected, even strangers.
Marguerite tells Eddie that even after she died, her love for him did not disappear; she had always loved him and would continue to forever. Eddie learned from Marguerite that although life ends, love does not; at the end of the story he is reunited with her.
The fourth person Eddie meets in Heaven is his wife, Marguerite. She is one of the few people he meets whom he knew in his life. The fourth person Eddie meets in Heaven helps him begin to see past his regret.
Eddie learns his second lesson here, which is sacrifice. The Captain teaches Eddie that sacrifice is part of life, that it is supposed to happen and it is not something we should regret.
Sadly, Eddie never had the chance, dying in a moment that could be questioned as a sacrifice in general. Instead, it seems like he was killed for potential shock value or to show that someone who was not the main character did not survive the battle against Vecna.
Eddie saves the little girl - We find out at the end of the novel that Eddie did save the little girl from the falling amusement cart. It is important to note the symbolism of this child's rescue.
Eddie Learns to Forgive Himself. Finally, Eddie has to learn to forgive himself for the harm he caused others. Due to this, he meets Tala. Tala tells Eddie that she used to have to hide from soldiers.
Eddie never met Ruby during his life, as she was much older and they weren't directly related, but the amusement park where Eddie works all his life, Ruby Pier, was built for Ruby by her husband. Ruby feels connected to Eddie, as she was present in the shared hospital room when Eddie's father died.
Eddie's father (whose name is never given) is the darkest character in the novel. A violent, misogynistic alcoholic who works a low-paying job as the head of maintenance at Ruby Pier, he neglects and physically abuses Eddie and his brother Joe throughout their childhoods.