It's International Teddy Bear Day and the child in all of us is surely happy about that.
For me, back when I was a wee tot, there was but one friend who I could rely on. A friend to whom I could tell all my deepest fears and secrets. A friend who shared all my happy moments and my lonely ones. A friend who would make me feel better whenever I was sad or alone or in trouble. And that friend was my teddy bear.
His name was Big, he was a panda by birth, was given to me by my big sister when I was born. He stands about 18” and he wears a check shirt. He's very stylish, he has two shiny silver buttons for eyes, extraordinary intelligence and, unusually for a bear, he has eye brows that my aunt sewed on one night as I slept. Which sounds freaky but I actually loved the expression it gave him.
And being the true friend that he is, he has always been there for me. When I had my adenoids out, he was there in my bed in hospital. When I was home sick from school he was there. When I missed my Dad when he was away driving trains up and down the country, he was there. When my big brother was very ill, he was there for me and he was there when our dog Brandy ran away; I think he even cuddled up to my Mum that night.
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Over the years as I grew up and wondered if it was time to let Big go, I discovered that all of my friends had teddy bears as children and many of them still held onto theirs. Some of their bears wore clothes and had dicky bows. Some of them had brown or red or blue bears, some of them had dogs or rabbits and dolls as well, one even had a pink elephant called Pinky. Last year, a book called 'Much Loved' was released and it featured photographs and stories of teddy bears bears who were equally cherished and adored by their owners, including the bears of Bono and Gerry Ryan.
Today, Big still lives in my bedroom and he still occasionally sneaks into my bed. He is one of many bears that I own and while I love them all, he holds a very special place in my heart. Many of my friends have chosen to get their own children teddy bears of their own - bears whose job it is to mind, tend, love and to provide a furry hand to hold.
So here, while there is no-one listening, do you still have a teddy bear in your life? What was your childhood toy of choice? And if there are small people in your house, what can they not be separated from?
