A Story About A Bear & A Pig

On the Fourth of July Weekend, in 1998, I was helping James unload his worldly possessions into his new townhome. They had been packed in California and delivered to his new adddress in Alexandria, VA. James & I had only been dating a short time. But, he had already shown his great love and affection for both Maddie & Me. It was clear that he had accepted the "We come as a package deal" edict I had laid out when we first started dating.

We came upon his bedroom belongings and started unpacking boxes. There seemed no rhyme or reason behind the packing order, so we just starting stacking everything on the floor and the bed with the intention of 'figuring it all out later'. Then, James stopped dead in this tracks. It seemed we had come upon his most prized possession. It was his childhood Teddy Bear - called (what else) Teddy. On that day, Teddy was already about 36 years old. It struck me as funny that the stoic and practical James that I had come to know, would have held on to the little guy for so long. His affection for the bear was easy to see.

For those of you who know James personally, I'm sure you will easily agree when I say that he is one of the most generous people you will ever meet. He has knack for finding just the right gift, just the right thing for anyone. His love for Maddie was demonstrated clearly that day when he offered Teddy to her. Maddie was thrilled. She picked him up, gave him a hug, and... gave him back!

What? Scorned by a 3 year old? James had forgotten that there was only one TRUE love in Maddie's life. That guy went by the name of Piggyboy. Piggyboy had been Maddie's number one man since Christmas 1994. She was 9 months old when she received Piggyboy ( known to most of you as Pigling Bland) as gift from my brother Chalie. They had been inseparable since that day. Piggyboy went everywhere with Maddie and she was not trading him in on a bear, no matter how cute Teddy was! She stayed true unti she was nearly 6 years old. At that time, Piggyboy had, literally, been loved to pieces. He retired to Maddie's "Treasure Box", where he remains today - treasured and safe.



Flash forward to the present day. James is going through his closet, searching for a tie, and he comes upon Teddy. Should he dare offer his precious bear to his newest daughter? Risk rejection once again? He does. His generosity is rewarded by one of Josies famous " OOOOOO's" and then Teddy and Josie are off to share new adventures. Teddy is nearing 45 years old and is in the care of a loving 2 year old girl!