They Just Don't Come No Better Than A Bear

The last photo I took of Atticus

Hanging with Wonalancet.

A couple of years ago, I spent time with a Native American woman. She was convinced that I had a connection to both bear and bison. She told me this was a rarity. “Usually, it is not more than one animal,” she said. “You are guided by both.”

I won’t profess to know much about soul connections, but I recognize how my spirit soars when I see either in the wild and despairs when they are confined.

While writing Will’s Red Coat, I suggested our story was a fairytale. And it does seem that way when you consider the wild beasts that visited with us regularly. However, it wasn’t until this week that I realized how much I miss those visits, especially with the stately Aragorn, who first followed Atticus and me home from a walk when he was an awkward and gangly yearling. What a privilege it was to observe his growth over the next three years.