Lily's bear




"The best thing next to a doctor."

  This is Lily's bear.
Two years ago, I found it in a box of Lily's things that Army Sister and Lily's daughter packed up for me to keep.

It's a scrubs bear.
Someone gave it to Lily when she earned her certification as a surgical physician's assistant.

The Husband recognized it.  He said Lily had shown it to him once and had told him it meant a lot to her.

So, now it means a lot to me.

I've been keeping it on my bedside table since.
While cleaning Saturday morning however, I moved it.  I set it nestled it in with the stuffed animals I kept from my own childhood.  And I left it there.  Thought maybe it would like hanging with "friends", hanging with other fond memories instead of sitting alone.

Sunday morning, I had a wonderful dream with Lily in it.  Army Sister, my two brothers, and Dad were all in it.  Like before, Lily gave me a long, wonderful hug.  I was delighted that I could touch her and she wasn't a ghost.  When we parted, she held my shoulders at arm's length for a moment, then she walked into the next room and was gone.  I looked at my other family members and said, "She waited for me.  You were all here, but she waited for me."

I woke from that dream feeling very happy.

And later, when I noticed her bear communing with my stuffed toys, I smiled because I knew why she visited me in the dream.
Good bear.
Good bear.