Christmas 1977: Karen and Robbie, blearily wandering into the living room way too early for their parents' comfort, find waiting for them amazing, nearly life-sized stuffed animals, left by Santa next to the tree. Karen's is Doggie and Rob's is Teddy, and they would be loved, loved, and loved some more, through good times and calamities, right on into adulthood.
Karen graduates from college and gets married, and though she doesn't really know what to do with her old, stuffed dog, she can't let go. So, poor Doggie gets stuffed to the back of the linen closet, patiently waiting for the day when Karen rediscovers her...
Which turned out to be yesterday. I was cleaning out the linen closet, and decided that, even if the kids didn't want to play with Mama's old, beaten up, stuffed dog, that at least she could be out in the play room instead of jammed up at the back of a closet.
They LOVE her! Although, Doggie, it turns out, has gone through some gender confusion - when she belonged to me, she was a girl but now she's definitely become a boy, a fact which 4 year-old Owen assures me is 'no big deal.'
Yesterday, No Impact Man wrote an incredible column about thrift-shop finds and the warmth and heart they contain; sooooo much better than newly-bought stuff. When I see my guys, especially Owen who hasn't put Doggie down for the last 36 hours, loving a dear friend from my own childhood, I get goosebumps.
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| From Fall Blog |
2 comments:
He's grown since we saw him this summer! ...Owen, that is, not Doggie :) Mel
When I saw that you've named your new friend Doggy, I had to comment. That's the name of Peter's little stuffed animal he got at the age of six (but a much much smaller version). Doggie is now at college sitting on a bookshelf watching over Peter. :)
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