A woman died and found herself standing outside
the Pearly Gates, being
greeted by St. Peter. She asked him, "Oh, is this place what I really think
it
is? It's so beautiful. Did I really make it to
heaven?"
To which St. Peter replied, "Yes, my dear, these are the Gates to
Heaven.
But
you must do one more thing before you can
enter."
The woman was very excited, and asked of St. Peter what she must do
to pass
through the gates.
"Spell a word," St. Peter replied.
"What word?" she asked.
"Any word," answered St. Peter. "It's your
choice."
The woman promptly replied, "Then the word I will spell is love.
L-o-v-e."
St. Peter congratulated her on her good
fortune to have made it to Heaven,
and asked her if she would mind taking his place at the gates for a few
minutes while he went to the bathroom. "I'd be honored," she said, "but
what should I
do if someone comes while you are gone?" St. Peter
reassured her, and instructed the woman simply have any newcomers
to the Pearly Gates to spell a word as she had
done.
So the woman is left sitting in St. Peter's chair and watching the
beautiful
angels soaring around her, when lo and behold, a man approaches the
gates, and
she realizes it is her husband.
"What happened?" she cried, "Why are you
here?"
Her husband stared at her for a moment, then said, "I was so upset
when I
left your funeral, I was in an accident. And now I am here? Did I really
make
it to
Heaven?"
To which the woman replied, "Not yet. You
must spell a word
first."
"What word?" he
asked.
The woman responded, "Czechoslovakia."