A very young cowboy had a dream last night that was so real.
It was about a great friend who still lives in the hearts of so many of us…his family, his friends, his coworkers, and the thousands of kids he touched as their favorite doctor.
One of these children comes to mind immediately. He must have been six years old and he unexpectedly bolted on stage at Steve’s celebration of life to say ‘you were the best doctor ever!’
In the dream, there was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. This fella had the look of an athlete or actor and was sitting with his mom and dad on a deck with the most amazing view. In the distance were snow capped mountains that seemed to rise to twenty thousand feet. There was a river that would rival the most glorious Montana trout stream and rafts drifting by with elated fishermen. The trout they were catching averaged four pounds. They all were golden except for the occasional rainbow with colors unimaginable.
The young man was telling a story about the fish that got away yesterday. He had risen at dawn and set out on his own with the waders Peter had given him when he arrived on Sunday night.
There was a wry smile and the excitement of a four year old on Christmas morning as he talked about this fish.
“You should have been there,’ he said. ‘This golden trout must have been at least twelve pounds. He hit that wooly bugger so hard it about snapped my fly rod in two. I had him on for at least ten minutes. As I was about to net him, he made one last heroic leap and was gone.” Steve’s father just laughed as he had heard him tell such stories after trips to Wyoming’s Green River or The South Platte near his beloved home in Denver.
At one point, he asked about the skiing in this remarkable place with the towering peaks. He was assured that it was a skier’s paradise and that Peter would soon give him a free pass so he could ski any mountain in the kingdom.
The wry smile appeared again as he thought to himself. ‘This really is like heaven’.
The fishing is spectacular, the scenery is beyond my wildest dreams, and these new friends never tire of hearing about my fishing escapades.
‘I think I’m going to go find Peter and ask about that ski pass. I want to be ready when the snow starts falling and I put away this fly rod and waders.’
He found Peter watering the flowers near the front gate. The wise man was delighted to present Steve with the pass but sensed that there was something on the young man’s mind. He invited the doctor to join him for a drink on the porch.
The conversation soon moved to what the older fella had anticipated….for he’d had the same talk with countless other new residents.
Steve asked about regret and longing and how these issues were handled in this new world he had recently entered.
Peter smiled and looked earnestly into the young man’s eyes.
‘The really remarkable thing about our Father is that He thought of everything.
He created each soul and designed us all with the ability to savor the moment and not get stuck in the past or worry about the future.
A soul’s vocabulary does not contain the words regret or longing.
Fear is replaced by faith and this much is true….you, and the very essence of you, will live for eternity.
There is the you that can’t wait to catch that next big golden or ride your mountain bike to the top of Mt. John Paul.
Please understand, my son, that there is also the you that will live forever in the hearts of all the loved ones, friends, and patients who you touched so tenderly through the years.
Most assuredly, the soul of you will always be present in your home in Denver and the condo in Vail.
Don’t think for a second that your presence will ever be missing from these special places.
It was your spirit that made them so memorable and that spirit…that soul…will live here….and there, for all time.
Not one day shall pass where your endearing and generous heart will be forgotten.
That is the thing about our Father. He did, indeed, think of everything.
How ingenious He is to have planted a small seed of your soul into every person you touched on earth?
I hope that makes it crystal clear why the words regret and longing have no meaning here.
You are home, dear Steve.
One day you will welcome all your loved ones to this land that exists for eternity. What stories you will share and the circle of life will, at last, be complete.’
Steve smiled and the peace of a thousand sunsets filled him instantly.
His faith in The Father’s Plan was unshakable.
‘Thank you so much, Peter. I guess you know all about this contentment that’s taken over me.
I’m going to go now. My dad and his friends have invited me to join them on a float trip. Dad says that the scenery is dazzling and the trout jump like marlin and fight like bonefish.’
Ms. Maggi is going to join us too. She’s so excited and her eyes…like always, are shining like diamonds.
Dedicated to Dr. Steve Nichalson who will always be remembered for his love, his laughter, and the stories only he could tell.
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