Teddy's Big Day

Looking back over photos from last year, this one has to be one of my favorites. The 100-year old teddy bear with the blue ribbon belonged to my dear grandma who passed away a couple of Februarys ago.

Mom knew that Teddy was somewhere in Grandma's house. When sorting through boxes and trunks in the hot and musty attic, Mom felt a distinctive lump in the bottom of a black plastic garbage back buried under a pile of insulation. She knew immediately that it was Teddy. She carried him carefully down the rickety stairs into the light.

The minute I saw Teddy, I recognized him like an old, forgotten friend. Mom carefully dusted his golden fur. I was sure that I could see a gleam in his eye.

Suddenly I could remember playing with Teddy on Sunday afternoons as a child at Grandma's house. In those days, he wore a little green outfit that Grandma had sewn for him. Teddy had been well-loved by three generations.

Teddy sat in my parent's family room until it was time for him to travel to the Iowa State Fair last August. Imagine how that must have felt to Teddy: All those years trapped in a garbage bag and now to be on display in Pioneer Hall. On opening day of the fair, we found Teddy sitting tall in a glass case, proudly sporting a blue ribbon.

Well-deserved, Teddy. Your day has come.