She had emailed me earlier this week, concerned about a dream she had about Lucky. In the dream, she saw Lucky in a wheelchair. When she came over to say hi to Lucky, Lucky smiled at her and then disappeared, leaving the wheelchair empty. Since she knows Lucky is dealing with a lot of health issues, she was concerned that something had happened to Lucky. When I told her Lucky was fine, she was relieved and then wanted to know what I thought the dream meant. I told her my best guess was that Lucky was letting her know that when she passes away and goes to heaven, she'll no longer need help getting around. (In the dream, Lucky was in a wheelchair, in reality, I use a sling to assist her in walking.) I told her I thought Lucky came to her in a dream to assure her that when she left this plane, she was going to be able to run and play without any assistance, so that she wouldn't worry about her. I was surprised at how much comfort it gave ME to give her that interpretation of the dream. I think I needed to be reminded of that as much as she did.
Today, this same sweet girl came to my house to spend time with Lucky while I tackled the delayed project of taking my christmas tree down. When I picked her up, she had a small stack of books with her. Seeing the question on my face, she said, "I thought Lucky might like it if I read her some of my favorite books. Do you think that would be ok?" I told her it was absolutely ok and that I was sure Lucky would appreciate it. She went on to explain that she picked some short books that all had happy endings. They were books about animals and fairies. She said she picked them all especially for Lucky. I could feel my eyes getting misty, feeling blessed to know this gentle yet seemingly old soul that lived in the body of a twelve year old girl.
As I proceeded to take the ornaments off the tree, I listened as she read each of the stories to Lucky, pausing occasionally to let Lucky see the pictures in the book. It warmed my heart in a way that is hard to put into words. After a while, she said "Maureen . . . Lucky has fallen asleep, do you think she's bored with the story?" and I said "No, I am sure she is just feeling very peaceful and dreaming about the images you shared with her." A few minutes later, Lucky opened her eyes and looked at her, then turned her upper body in her direction, as if to say "I'm ready to hear some more." and the story continued . . . .
It is an afternoon I will always remember and a gentle reminder that we can learn so much from children if we just pay attention. This little girl loves books more than just about anything in the world, and she wanted to share what she loved with a dog that she loves. Whether or not Lucky understood all the stories is really not the point. I am quite certain she understood was that this little girl loves her and that's really what is important. It reminded me that one of the greatest gifts we can give another is not necessarily something we buy, but instead, something we give from our hearts.
1 comment:
I loved this story. I am sure that Lucky understood every word read to him by the little girl. Lucky is very fortunate to have a special friend to read to him.
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