Hero of the Week: Postman Replies to Grieving 7-Year-Old Boy's Letter to Dad 'in Heaven,' Inspires Us with His Compassion

The world can be a dark and dangerous place, but selflessness has the power to prevail in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Whether it’s putting another life before your own, making someone else’s dreams come true, or paying forward random acts of kindness, everyday heroes are all around us. Every week, we take the opportunity to celebrate the most extraordinary ordinary people from all over the world who make our little blue dot a better place. Welcome to Hero of the Week.

When you lose a loved one, it’s never easy, but sometimes you feel the loss even more around meaningful dates. This was true for a young boy who sent a birthday card to his dad "in heaven," but then the ultimate shock was when he got a response.

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Jase Hyndman is 7 years old and lives in West Lothian. After writing the note to heaven, he received a note back from the Royal Mail telling him his message to his father James had made it through the “difficult” journey.

"I actually cannot state how emotional he is knowing his dad got his card,” said his mother, Teri Copland. "Royal Mail you've just restored my faith in humanity."

A compassionate response

"I just wanted to take this opportunity to contact you about how we succeeded in the delivery of your letter, to your dad in heaven,” wrote Royal Mail's Sean Milligan said in the note to Jase. "This was a difficult challenge avoiding stars and other galactic objects on route to heaven," the note added.

The note concluded: "I will continue to do all I can to ensure delivery to heaven safely."

The Facebook post in which Jase's mom shared the note from Royal Mail was shared more than 200,000 times.

"He was overwhelmed and kept saying 'my dad really got my letter mum'... I've always told Neive (Jase's sister) 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," Ms Copland said. "I want people to realise that a small gesture of kindness can have such a fantastic impact on someone's life... Royal Mail actually took part and that gives me so much comfort."

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