Jack's Teddy Bear
I’d left him in the back of my car, the teddy bear, whose name is “kompisen” (“the friend,” in Swedish) after Jack died. Jack brought that (flattened) teddy bear with him everywhere, carried him in his teeth—he came with us to Runmarö, Sweden, back to NYC, to Sharon, High Falls, Kerkonkson, and Granby. We never lost him, like we lost so many other things, because, again, Jack carried him in his teeth. His one and only object, and all he ever packed when we went anywhere. He did this, with Kompisen, often, this kneading thing, and the other adorable thing Jack always did was the “water dance,” which was that he sort of danced when he drank water. I of course have videos of this too. I shot this video maybe 10 days before Jack died.
One day, over a month after Jack passed, and we’d buried him out back, I took Kompisen from the car and brought him inside.
The night I got Lewis home from a traumatic visit to ER (I always promise cat stories, to come, and this one adds to the list) I came into the bedroom and saw this.
Never ever in the 9 years since we got Lewis did he ever go near Jack’s best friend Kompisen, so I didn’t even think of bringing him in. I thought vaguely I would bury him with Jack, but didn’t. Thank goodness.
We will of course keep Kompisen forever and never launder him.
Not trying to make you cry. Just telling little stories for no reason.
Here's a loosely related cat story. On a scale of 1 to 10, my aunt's adoration level of her cats is 11. When one of them died, she buried him in the backyard, like you. Some time passed. One day an unfamiliar cat appeared on her doorstep, apparently lost or in search of a home.
In its mouth was the collar of her buried cat. He'd dug it up from her backyard. She believes it was her prior cat reincarnated, and that seems about right to me. After she confirmed this cat didn't have a home, she adopted it, of course.
I can relate. My son had a catastrophic illness from infancy to adulthood. He had a special stuffed toy called "LeMutt" which went everywhere with him along with his favorite "blankie." Even as he grew into his teen years with all that angst, his calming came from those two items which he concealed in a pillowcase. Now he is an adult, surviving against all odds, he still has the two items. They comfort him just knowing they are in his home. Good mental health comes from accepting comfort in whatever form works! The teddy bear is such a comfort. I love it! Thanks for sharing