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Subject: [FOLKLORE FAMILY] Re: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 19:45:04 EST
Saying Good-Bye to Bubba
Parents can appreciate the anticipation and excitement of
their children's first words. Some parents even work hard every
day to ensure they are the first to be summoned and to encourage
those long-awaited sounds: "Da Da" or "Ma Ma."
The day came for Derek's first word. We heard it and were
thrilled that all our efforts, coaching and hours of repetition
had finally produced the desired results. Even the dog was
excited to hear a recognizable word and ran to share a wet kiss!
As we laughed and carefully noted this milestone in his baby
book, I have to admit my husband and I were a little
heartbroken. We knew there was no way to contort the word into
"Ma Ma" or "Da Da" as our baby sat on the floor calling "Ubba."
Yes, he was definitely calling for Bubba, our beloved family
dog. It had been love at first sight for the two of them. As
any friend would, Bubba was teaching Derek many things: love,
caring and responsibility, and along with a nightly ritual of
feeding Bubba dog bones, Derek was learning to count.
Derek was now twenty months old and I lay in the hospital
awaiting the arrival of our second son. I began to get a little
concerned because my husband and mother had not made it to the
hospital yet. Finally, they arrived and I saw it in their
faces. They didn't want to tell me but I knew something had
happened, and a feeling of sadness in my heart told me it was
Bubba. It was true, they had found him dead that morning and
buried him before Derek woke up. The next few months were very
hard. Bubba had been with me for many years and the bond
between a little boy and his dog was broken. I now had the
responsibility to somehow explain to Derek in a way he could
understand that Bubba was gone, forever.
For weeks Derek faithfully continued his nightly feeding
rituals. He would search the house and stand at the door
calling for Bubba. We struggled with ways to help his young
mind understand.
A few months later we had flown to my hometown for a visit,
and on our return flight Derek scrambled across the seats and
into my lap. Always looking for a learning experience in
everything we do, I began talking about the clouds and how we
were on top of them and would soon be flying through them and
then would be underneath them. Derek pressed his face against
the window, shook his head and exclaimed, "No, Mommy!" Then I
heard him softly calling, "Bubba." As my heart broke and eyes
filled with tears, my baby looked at me for help in finding his
lost friend amongst all the clouds. I prayed, "God, help me
know the right things to say and please help his little heart
mend." Derek was now pointing out the window and saying, "God-
Heaven-Clouds-Stars-Bubba." At that moment, I realized in his
own little way he understood.
The flight captain came on and announced our final descent.
As I worked to get us both buckled in, Derek again pressed his
face to the window, called for Bubba and patiently waited. As
the last cloud passed our window, he lovingly looked upward,
waved and said, "Bye-bye, God! Bye-bye, Bubba!"
We landed that afternoon with pieces of our hearts left
drifting in the clouds. Derek never searched or called for
Bubba again.
by Shelly D. Dunford
Reprinted by permission of Shelly D. Dunford (c) 1997, from
Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul by Jack Canfield,
Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell Autio.
>>
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A day without sunshine is like,
you know, night.
Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi)
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