Yay! Very glad you did this, and that you find Lilly so pleasing. After your initial thread, I got to thinking and just felt really sad for you. What a gut punch you had.
A dear friend of mine spent many years raising service puppies with his wife. They get the dog at about 8 weeks and the dog leaves after about a year. They train and evaluate, and the dog then goes on to Guide Dog College or, alternatively, gets "career changed" to a nice family. I once asked him how painful it must be to let go of a puppy that has been a family member for a year. He said he misses them but when they say goodbye to one puppy, they are holding the new 8-month-old in their arms. That certainly takes much of the sting out. I hope Lilly does this for you, Sir.