Never. Jump. Ship.: B is for...

B…B is not only for Bear, but bond, the Bond that one builds over time with a friend. Bear passed over the weekend. During the last two weeks he made three hospital visits, not from his torn ACL, but for his anemia which caused him to suffer from Autoimmune Disease.

A part of me feels like I died too for Bear was not just a pet, he was a friend. So everything happens for a reason, and people come in and out of our lives at different times for different reasons. I think Bear came at a much needed time. For the last five years, Bear has played many roles and done a great job if I must say. Bear was a companion to my dad. He made dad laugh and smile randomly and slept by dad’s bedside on days he sensed dad was not well. Since Fong had moved out years before, Mary was entering high school and I was just beginning college, Bear became another child for my mom. She bathed him, combed his hair (which he loved), fed him, and yelled at him often when he did things he was not suppose to (like pee on her brand new carpet...I told her that he was trying to break it in for her). As you can tell, Bear kept my parents very occupied. For me, Bear was a constant friend during my years of college, he came my best friend, he never complained about things (though he never hesitated to turn his nose if it wasn’t his preference), he protected, he listened, and he loved.

For the last few weeks, I felt like I had been carrying the weight of the world, and this was the straw that broke my back. I often cry myself to sleep and burst out in tears for the lost of such a great friend... So please do not ask me about him unless you have a box of tissue handy.