Michigan’s First ‘Letters to Heaven’ Mailbox is Exactly What You Think It Is
Fair warning: grab your tissues!
A new, extraordinary mailbox has gone up in one Michigan community that's unlike any other. What makes this mailbox so different? Well, it doesn't require any postage for one. Oh-- and it's located within a cemetery.
Dubbed the first of its kind here in the United States, the new Letters to Heaven Mailbox is now accepting letters for loved ones gone too soon in Royal Oak's Oakview Cemetery.
Who's It For?
According to The Oakland Press, the idea for the otherworldly mailbox appears to have first been started by a young girl grieving over in the U.K. as a way to express her grief over her grandmother's passing.
Today, the news outlet reports mailboxes have appeared in over 3 dozen locations across the U.K.. Liza Altenburg, family services manager for Oakview Cemetery says,
the hope is the letters written and deposited in the box will help those grieving the loss of loved ones...We’re the first to do it in the U.S. that I’m aware of
Though grief can take many forms the idea behind the mailbox is to help families heal by allowing them to share something with the departed that they may have been unable to say to them in life. A sign next to the mailbox reads:
Send your love, prayers, and updates to those who have passed away. This correspondence is offered as a source of comfort and peace for you. No postage is necessary for your letter to reach your beloved departed.
How to Mail Your Letter
Simply write and seal your special correspondence and drop it in the mailbox within Oakview Cemetery at 1032 N. Main Street in Royal Oak.
Worried about others reading your private messages? Don't be! Altenburg assures all correspondence will be kept private and stored in a secure place, never to be opened by anyone. Adds Altenburg,
I want everyone who needs that outlet to have it...and hope as many people who need peace use it.
I'm not crying, you're crying!
I would love to see this mailbox available to communities here in Southwest Michigan. Do you know of anything similar in our area?