Our household has grown by three the past couple of months - two dogs and one little boy. No, we haven't adopted. They are all JillyBean's imaginary friends.
Air Bud was the first to enter our home, sometime in the Fall. I heard her yelling, "Air Bud! Come back!" I had no idea what she was saying or who she was saying it to, then it clicked. Snoopy arrived a month or so later. He causes trouble and is often sent to time out around nap time for keeping Jilly from sleeping. It is crazy how my "interaction" with these friends actually has an impact. Snoopy is booted from the bed and JillyBean goes to sleep.
The imaginary friend became a bit of an embarrassment one afternoon when Jilly and I were at a local Subway for lunch. We were sitting in a booth near a window that looked out at the parking lot. All of a sudden, Jilly jumped out of her seat and hollered, "SNOOPY!!!" She began moving toward the door, but stopping every so many feet, looking out the window, cupping her hands around her mouth and hollering, "SNOOPY!!!" I had no idea what was going on. I naturally followed her, stopped her and asked what was going on. She said, somewhat frantic, "That car has Snoopy!" while pointing out the window at no particular vehicle. I was unsure what to say, as the two other diners looked on, but tried to console her. I told her it was OK and that they were Snoopy's friends and they were taking him home. She didn't buy it at first, but after a couple of minutes she calmed down and went back to her lunch. The conversation continued on our way home with me assuring her that Snoopy would be home when we got there. She had her doubts.
And so it goes....Daily....
A new friend arrived at our house on Monday. I noticed Jilly walking through the hall with her hand cupped at her side, as if she were holding someone's hand, and she was whispering. I asked what she was doing and she said that she was showing the little boy around the house. Needless to say, I was happy to learn that this new friend is human and not another dog. I asked about this little boy and she told me his name is Carlos and he is from Haiti. "This is the little boy who got my box," she explained.
I cannot tell you how much this warmed my heart. We participated in Operation Christmas Child at Christmastime. We filled a shoe box with gifts for a little boy who lived somewhere between the Middle East and South America Southeast Asia and Africa. Each night during Christmas we prayed for the little boy who got our box. Once the earthquake hit Haiti last month I told Jilly that we still needed to pray for our little boy because of the disaster. For all we knew the box made its way to the hands of a Haitian child. We needed to pray that God is keeping him safe and that he is not scared. Apparently Carlos found safety in our home and we couldn't be happier to welcome him.