Today, in honor of National Teddy Bear Day, I … Read the rest →]]> “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

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.

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.

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.

Related Posts:

Men Who Sleep With Teddy Bears
Ode To The Teddy Bear

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

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