That fateful day finally arrived: Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is met by St. Peter himself at the Pearly Gates.
“Well, Forrest, it’s certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you,” St. Peter says. “I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we’ve been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.”
“It shor is good to be here, St. Peter, sir,” says Forest. “But nobody ever tolt me about any entrance exam. Shor hope the test ain’t too hard; life was a big enough test as it was.”
“Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions. First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Second: How many seconds are there in a year? Third: What is God’s first name?”
Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up and says, “Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers.”
Forrest says, “Well, the first one — which two days in the week begin with The letter ‘T’? Shucks, that one’s easy. That’d be Today and Tomorrow.”
The Saint’s eyes open wide and he exclaims, “Forrest, that’s not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I didn’t specify, so I’ll give you credit for that answer. How about the next one? How many seconds in a year?”
“Now that one’s harder,” says Forrest, “but I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve.”
Astounded, St. Peter says, “Twelve? Twelve!? Forrest, how in Heaven’s name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?”
Forrest says “Shucks, there’s gotta be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd—“
“Hold it,” interrupts St. Peter. “I see where you’re going with this, and I see your point. Though that wasn’t quite what I had in mind, I’ll have to give you credit for that one, too. Let’s go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God’s first name”?
“Sure”, Forrest says smiling, “it’s Howard.”
“Howard?!” exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. “OK, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Howard as the first name of God?”
“Shucks, that was the easiest one of all,” Forrest replies. “Don’t you know the Lord’s own prayer? ‘Our father who art in heaven, Howard be thy name…’.”
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates and said: “Run Forrest, run.”
