I saw a post on Facebook today about a child whose stuffed wolf had ‘surgery’ when the child did. This reminded me of a story in our family.
When Jessica was little she had to spend hospital time and was accompanied by a little stuffed bear. We called it baby bear and it went to the hospital with her. We said it carried the prayers of those who gave it to her and represented the prayers of everyone who was praying for her.
Later a friend from my work had to have surgery and Jessica insisted that baby bear go with her so she would know we were praying for her. The friend was deeply touched and took baby bear with her. She told the folks at the hospital about the little girl who shared her bear and her prayers.
When baby bear came home it was with a matching bandage which the hospital staff had applied to show Jessica how much her prayers and sharing was appreciated!
Over the years baby bear accompanied many people to hospital. I started buying a small bear to send with folks so they could start there own tradition. I sent along a notebook to record the stories of their baby bear as it traveled from patient to patient bearing love, prayers and goodwill. Each notebook started with the stories of our own baby bear.
Baby bear has seen many miracles! We continue to treasure the stories we hear from time to time.
