The Ted Talk

Suzanne Vince — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:00:10 +0000

“Wake in the deepest dark of night and hear the driving rain. Reach out a hand and take a paw and go to sleep again.”
–Charlotte Gray

Teddy bears. Not just for humans.

Today, in honor of National Teddy Bear Day, I thought I’d share the story of a very special someone in my life.

Meet Timmy.

Timmy. Photo by Suzanne Vince.

To love me is to love my teddy bear. My husband learned this early on in our relationship. When we first met, my beloved bear, Timmy, occupied not only the center of my bed but of my heart as well.

You see, my mother, who brought Timmy to life in 1988, had passed away two months before I met my husband. During those two months, Timmy helped me through many sleepless nights.

In my grief I clung to him and cried rivers of tears into him. Knowing my mother’s beautiful hands had made him, I nearly squeezed the stuffing out of him, hugging him as if I were somehow hugging her.

The defining moment in my budding relationship with my husband came the first time he spent the night at my place. As we crawled into bed, each from our own side, his eyes traveled to the bear. And then to me.

I should point out here that on our first date, I cried when we talked about my mother. On our second date, while standing in the middle of Starbucks, I cried again. While other people looked at us…looked at him, wondering what he’d done to make me cry, he simply put his arms around me and held me.

And so, when I slid to the middle of the bed and placed Timmy behind me, not a word was spoken.

The following morning, I introduced the two of them. A few weeks later, I was awakened by a soft tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to find Timmy staring back at me. “Wake up, Mommy,” a small voice said.

In that moment, I knew I’d found a keeper.

In fact, over the next few months, the two men in my life became great friends. One morning, my (not-yet but getting ever closer) husband remarked that he wished he had someone as special as Timmy, handmade by his own mother.

Junior, made by Barbara Dunn.

And so, a few months later, after privately emailing his mother, Junior was born. Though not technically a teddy bear, Junior is much beloved member of the Vince family.

Since that time, many stuffed animals have come into our lives. They fill our hearts and our home and can be seen in nearly every room of the house. And we’ve loved each and every one of them.

But none is more special to me than Timmy. He is The Special One.

Important Dates to Remember:

National Take Your Teddy to Work Day: October 14, 2015

“You promised that you’d never leave. Where are you now?”
–unknown

Teddy Bear Picnic Day: July 10, 2016

“Teddy bears like to go on morning picnics in the summertime, so they can enjoy the sunshine before it’s it too hot for their furry selves.”
-Abigail Darling

Have you signed up to get your FREE copy of my upcoming novella, The Other Side of the World? It’s not too late. CLICK HERE to reserve your copy (expected release date, September 30).

Ode to the Teddy Bear

Suzanne Vince — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 11:00:43 +0000

New Teddy. Photo by Suzanne Vince.

While I was home recovering from surgery recently, I received a gift from my sister. It was a teddy bear. But not just any old teddy bear. This was a Vermont Teddy Bear. The Vermont Teddy Bear comes with a lifetime guarantee:

If anything should ever happen to your Bear, even if the family dog decides to make it his favorite toy, just send it back to us here at the Factory and we will nurse him or her back to health in our Bear Hospital at no charge. Talk about a great health care plan! If by chance your Bear was too badly injured with no hope of recovery, we will replace your Bear with a new one for FREE!

Finally, a teddy bear company truly understands the special place that a teddy bear holds in the hearts of kids everywhere. Even big kids. Like me.

Winnie the Pooh (and Piglet) and the books my sister used to read us. Photo by Suzanne Vince

I’m not sure where my love for teddy bears came from. When I was young, my oldest sister Nancy used to read Winnie the Pooh books to the three youngest girls in my family. We each had our own character (I was Piglet, the littlest one) and we’d speak in our little voices when reading our parts. Perhaps it started then.

Photo by Suzanne Vince

Or maybe it was when my mother began making stuffed animals. She’d start with a few balls of yarn and a bag of stuffing, and she’d beam with pride every time she finished one.

Timmy. Photo by Suzanne Vince.

I named the first one she made Timmy. And to this day, he is my most cherished possession. When I squeeze him, I can feel my mother’s love.

My love for stuffed animals started at a young age.

Or maybe it’s just something I was born with. My husband even tells me I was a Puppeteer in a previous life. Though I’m no ventriloquist, I have the ability to make people laugh even when they’re angry (especially then). Every night before bed when my daughter was little, I’d send her into fits of laughter just by bringing her stuffed animals to life.

“But…you’re all grown up now, Suzanne,” you might be thinking. “It’s time to put away such childish notions.”

A barrel of (sock) monkeys. Photo by Suzanne Whitfield Vince

Um, no. My love for Teddy Bears (I also love sock monkeys) is simply a part of me. One of the best parts. It’s the playful side of me that everyone should have. It’s what keeps us young at heart. It keeps us from taking ourselves (and life) too seriously. Without teddy bears, life would be lonely.

And apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way:

Photo via Google images.

This man is offering a $500 reward for the loss of his 47 year-old bear. To read the story, CLICK HERE

Image via teddybearlife.com

This Website is devoted exclusively to the adventures of an entire Teddy family.

And this this wikiHOW tells you how to make the perfect life for your teddy bear in twelve easy steps.

What about you? What makes you feel young and playful?

for the love of teddy – Suzanne Whitfield Vince

The Ted Talk

Ode to the Teddy Bear