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Holiday PlanningComfort Comes From Unexpected Places
by:
Patricia Twitchell
By Patricia Twitchell
Autumn of ’89 began like any other. Summer was quickly coming to a close as winter crept in. Like most years, the family was apprehensively
anticipating sharing the holidays together.
Although each year became a bit more difficult due to the miles that unbroken
us physically apart, in our hearts we remained close. What I have always cherished most simply about time with my family is the laughter and the enjoyment of simple things.
Amazingly, even as that which we appreciate we often take for granted. Without realizing it, I took for granted that my parent and father, in their early sixties in ‘89, would-be be about for years to come. Years that in a moment seemed to be ripped from my reality.
It was late on a Weekday
night in Sep of that year once
I got the alarming call. “If you want to see your father alive, you must move quickly.” Those words rang in my head as I carelessly tossed cloths into a bag. My reasoning was such that a tattered grocery bag would-be answer as my luggage.
My reasoning was as well such that rather than at once get on the road, I felt compelled to bake my father his favorite cookies. Tho'
I had been told he was in a coma as a result of a massive viscus
arrest, I was certain my cookies would-be be the magic formula to bring him around.
As I drove late into the night, memories of long ago danced in my head. Memories of times shared with my father who, tho'
a pillar in my life, now lay lifeless in a hospital bed. Glancing oft at the plate of cookies that were placed with kid gloves
on the seat behind me, I tearfully wondered if I would-be ever see my father alive again.
The shock of seeing my father hooked up to incalculable monitors and machines was all but on the far side
belief. And yet, what my sisters and I quickly complete was the devastation my parent was experiencing. The three of us wondered if our parents would-be have the possibility to celebrate their Ordinal
day
together.
With no obvious change over the next few days, my sisters, parent and I found comfort in each others arms. Strangely, we as well found comfort by conveyance each different lovable stuffed animals. Inside
days, my mother’s collection of teddy bears grew and grew.
It was as if each bear command
a special meaning to her and brought what little comfort could be fully fledged as she diligently watched her husband lay in his own earth of a coma.
After weeks of praying for the near impossible, my father slowly began to regain consciousness. Knowing a miracle had taken place, for the next few months we were excited
at each baby step my father took in his recovery.
Having to undergo massive heart surgery to repair several of the damage, my father unbroken
a few close companions near his side
as he recouped from his wounds. The really teddy bears my parent found comfort in patch my father was on his “vacation” were the bears he now found comfort in.
As I prepare for the holiday season this year, I wonder how more of an impact my father’s heart attack and all the experiences that went with it had on my decision to fulfill a long
dream.
For years, I had a private secret desire to open a teddy bear store so I could share the feelings teddy bears had given me once
I went through a really painful divorce. A feeling of comfort that somehow only the “right” bear can bring. The same type of comfort teddy bears brought to my mother, my father, my sisters and me in the season of ’89. The same type of comfort I now have the possibility to share with others on a daily basis.
With my father’s experience now years behind, I am once once more anticipating sharing a holiday season with my parent and father who are before long going to be celebrating 57 years of marriage. Often my peoples move to visit me during the holidays, as it is a really busy time of year. What with all the gift wrapping for the many a folk who move from all over the country to experience the unique teddy bear store that was once only a dream.
I have knowing life is simply about having the bravery to live our dreams. It is in the temperament
to do what we are destined to do we have the possibility to bring comfort, joy, laughter and love to the lives of others.
If the only lesson I knowing during the season of ’89 is how precious life is, I wish forever be grateful. It is because of that lesson I am precocious
with the possibility to often help choice simply the right teddy bear for being who is in need of comfort. Different times, it is to choice a bear that is meant to bring joy, or express love, or gratitude, or simply because…. because teddy bears do the earth a little better one bear at a time.
Simply simply about the author:
Simply simply about the author
Patricia Twitchell is the businessman of Simply Bears and Stuff, a unique gift shop set in Myrtle Creek, Oregan. Close
in the scenic mountains is a favorite place to visit from folk all over the country. Obtain “Beary Special Moments” a free online teddy bear facts and tips e-zine by visiting www.justbearsandstuff.com
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