When I was pregnant with Emily, I wanted to decorate her room in a
Winnie the Pooh theme. Trouper said no. For some odd reason, he wasn't a Pooh
Bear fan, so I gave up however, Emily had other plans. She fell in love with
that silly old bear and, as soon as she could crawl, her and Pooh Bear were off
and running. For her 2nd birthday, my brother braved the July heat and dressed
up as Winnie the Pooh and when Emily saw the head come off, revealing Uncle
Bumper, she screamed "Pooh ate Uncle Bumper"! When we moved to
Atlanta, and she was 3, I took her to a store and told her to pick out
decorations for her new room. You guessed it, Pooh Bear. I love that silly old
bear from Pooh Corner's too and, throughout the years, have kept his quotes and
wisdom close to my heart.
One morning, shortly after my beloved
brother AKA Uncle Bumper passed away, I came across the picture of him dressed
as Pooh Bear and immediately thought of the Pooh quote "how lucky I am to
have something that makes saying goodbye so hard". Such a wise and loving
bear. For the past year, I have had a quote on my desk, tucked away behind my
keyboard. Yes, another Winnie the Pooh quote but one that ties into my life so
wonderfully, reminding me of my resilience and strength. Something I can hear
my brother saying, or texting as he tended to do late at night when he wasn't
feeling well, and something that has kept me smiling.
"If ever there is a day when we aren't together....there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart...I'll always be with you"
This applies to so many aspects of my life. Each day presents a new challenge and with each one, I wonder how much more I can take. I can take a lot, apparently, because through everything, I'm still here and still standing. Each challenge brings a new perspective, but also a new love for a wise old bear from the hundred acre woods. He has seen our family through birth, death and every minute in between. He has words of comfort for every situation and still makes my baby girl smile. When she's home from college, her Pooh Bear pillow pet comes home with her. Her and her daddy still watch Pooh Bear movies together, especially at 2 am, long after Mom has gone to bed.
So, in the words of our families favorite bear (actually the bear's best friend, Christopher Robin) "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
