My Last Date With Teddy
My darling bear and I went out one last night,
for our final date.
I had to say farewell to him "Cause time
just would not wait."
and my mother said the day had come to pack
my toys away.
I guess she thought I was all grown up and
they were in the way.
Teddy bear had always been so special,
the toy I loved the very best.
I never ever thought that I'd be asked to
put my bear to rest.
But as we all begin to grow so many things
don't go our way
and often we are too busy and sadly
don't have the time to play.
That's how I felt when mom announced that
time was passing by
so I asked teddy for a date, I'm quite
sure he wondered why.
We took a walk around the block and ate
two candy bars
then sat out on the big porch swing and
looked up at the stars.
I really did need to have a talk with
him as private as could be
there were so many things to say between
just him and me.
I thanked him for his many hugs and his
great listening ears
and all those nights he kept me warm and
helped remove my fears.
He always had such smiling loving eyes so
precious and so dear
but this time as I reached for him I thought
I saw a tear.
Could I have touched his little heart and
caused my bear to cry
and be so emotional that I was certain I
heard him sigh ?
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief then recognized
that he was fine.
The tear had fallen from my cheek, it wasn't
his, it was mine.
My brother looked at me and stared ... he
just didn't understand,
My bear was not only an old stuffed toy,
he was my dearest friend.
I wrapped my precious Teddy in a blanket
and hugged him oh so tight
then with tears packed him in an old
shoe box and gently said, "Goodnight."
My father took my special box and my best
friend and placed them in a trunk
and then he hauled it away to the attic
room with all our other junk.
So many thoughts crowded into my mind as
I climbed into bed,
first came glorious memories, then worry
filled my head.
I hoped Teddy didn't mind the dark, the
dampness or the cold,
his body seemed so weak and frail, he was
worn and really quite old.
But this was just a teddy bear so how
could I feel this way ?
It made me think of grandma's words "All
things must pass away."
I felt a sense of loneliness and loss and
somehow insecure.
My bear had brought me so many hours
of joy so innocent and pure.
To give him up made me very sad and seemed
so ungrateful and unfair,
yet that's the way life had us part ...
my friend, my love, my bear.
I wonder if he'll still remember and forgive
me now that I am old and gray
'cause I just may need him once again to
help me through another day.
As the years have passed I have come to
realize we are never too old to need our precious childhood Teddy Bears.
There are times even now when those cherished friends and their cuddles
would be so very welcome. A unique bond exists between those furry friends
and those they comforted in childhood. Nothing in memory has ever been
quite so reassuring as snuggling into the covers with that precious bundle
at our side. They ask for nothing. They need only your love. And they return
so much more in kind.
Yes, I know as you read this some may
well think.. 'she sounds like a silly old woman' but think about it. Wouldn't
we all love to be able to feel that sense of security and safety that we
felt as children cuddling our precious Teddy Bears? And, wouldn't so many
less fortunate children in this sad, angry world of today be richer for
having their own special Teddy to love?
Cuddles really
do help. No matter how young or how old we may be. They don't even take
a lot of time or effort but the benefits often have a far reaching effect.
The hug you give to someone will affect their attitude at that moment and
therefore the next person they come in contact with may well be a beneficiary
of that brief moment of kindness and caring. Never has it been so important
that we recognize this fact and make every effort to always find time for
opening our hearts to others. Teddies teach us that lesson from a
very early age. It is so unfortunate that we forget that lesson and pack
those instincts away along with our very special friend.
With so much
distrust and rancour in our world we would all do well to seriously consider
the reasons and try to begin to make the changes which, if not made, will
see our world of today ripped apart as never before. The divisions exist
in ways never so evident. They are not just the differences between countries,
they are now dividing our own land in ways never dreamed possible. Anger
and mistrust fill our world. If we don't find it in our hearts to
recognize that 'different' isn't an enemy but only a stranger until
we open our hearts to come to know them and to understand that they
are no different really than we are, there is very little chance that the
suspicion and enmity so rife in our world today will ever cease.
Far better to
give the children of other lands teddy bears to love that to offer bullets
and violence as a means of finding peace. Yes, I know that sounds
crazy. I even recognize that it is not always possible. But, it is something
we would do well to consider more frequently before we start dropping
bombs and killing and maiming those innocent children who have only begun
their lives and whose minds are not yet poisoned by the ambitions and
revenge based motives of man. Instead of memories of cuddling a teddy bear
we choose to offer fear and hatred to a new generation and expect what
? Friendship and trust ? I think not. We breed instead the motive
for a lifetime of hatred and enmity which will ultimately destroy all of
us one day.
Yes, we have
enemies, and ones who present a clear and present danger to our way of
life, but killing the children of those who would destroy us is a futile
task. They are too many. We cannot kill them all. We do however, by being
so willing to use force to impose our will, build their armies of the future
whose minds and hearts will be filled with hatred and who will outnumber
us, and who will ultimately win. That is , if we haven't destroyed the
planet in the process.
Childhood was simple
for all of us those many years ago. It has become so much more complicated
and perilous in recent decades. The poor, helpless child born today will
never have a chance to know a world such as we knew unless and until we
search our hearts for the solutions instead of always resorting to violence.
It may seem like the only way but there are never any easy answers in life.
And when has violence and division ever proven to be a viable solution?
Teddy Bears are for
children but we could all learn from them. Cuddles are something
we all could use from time to time no matter how old we are and no
matter how impossible it may seem to reach out in friendship rather than
suspicion and enmity. Children all over the world are very much the
same. They need love. They have fears and they need comfort and security
to thrive and to grow into reasoning adults who believe in communicating
with their fellow man in seeking ways to co-exist despite the differences
in cultures and beliefs. Only when we find the will to make the effort
to reach out to those whose cultures are so different from ours
will there be any chance at all that our grandchildren and their children
will live together in harmony on this planet we call home.
Teddy bears instead
of bullets. An analogy which sounds like an over simplistic theory I know
but if we never try it we will never know if it just might be the
only way. Most assuredly the path we are now on will see a very different
result. Domination does not result in peaceful co-existence. Warmth and
kindness and an effort to reach out in friendship may just prove to be
the means to peace and goodwill if we only are courageous enough
to make the effort. Will we ever find the wisdom to at least try ?
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MIDI "When You Wish Upon a
Star" courtesy of Les Gorven
January 11th 2005
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