Passing the Torch

This post is in honor of my faithful mascot, Booffy Bear, who has been my near-constant companion since I was a year old, and may have been one of my first teddy bears (if not very first).

With bestie Baby Curly, circa 2008

He’s seen a lot of life, has Booffy—everything from tree-climbing to swimming to camping trips...and he once got hung up on a telephone wire, but that’s another story....

It’s kind of amazing he’s lasted as long as he has, really. Not that I was especially rough with him, mind you...but like I said, he’s had some Adventures in the thirty-three years he’s lived with me (what he did in the ten years before that, I have no clue, and he doesn’t remember). But it has begun to take its toll on him.

The mortality of inanimate objects was first brought home to me in 2002, when I discovered a small hole on one of his paws during our Summer vacation that year. I think there was another incident a few years ago, too. And then in June of this year, I found several small holes in three places on Booffy’s back, and a weak spot along one arm seam almost an inch long. Thankfully, I was able to do more emergency surgery...but it was rather traumatic for both of us.

You know the scene in Toy Story 2 when Andy’s mom tells him, “Toys don’t last forever”? And when the cleaner cautions Big Al, “You handle him too much, he’s not gonna last”? That’s what immediately came into my head at the time.

With Lucy, after her reconstructive surgery,
October 2012

That day, I realized how temporary material things are, and it shook me up, to be honest. Because my little buddy-bear isn’t just a thing to me. He’s my best friend, my constant companion, my confidante. He’s been a source of comfort when I was sad or lonely. He’s stayed with me when all my other friends left. He’s family.

But I knew the damage he’s beginning to suffer would only get worse as the years go by. I knew I’d have to “shelve” him for good—put him on display along with my other vintage toys—and not handle him any more than necessary, if I was to preserve him.

It popped into my head to find a replacement—another bear of this sort, but in good condition. Theoretically, the new bear would perhaps last another thirty years before needing repairs...possibly more, since I’d be considerably gentler with him than I was with Booffy, LOL. A few searches on eBay yielded several likely candidates...but my two drops of Scotch blood balked at the prices people were asking.

Fast-forward to October 11 of this year. Mom suggested a trip to the local Goodwill, which I’m always up for. I usually poke around the toy section these days, in case they have any Beanie Babies to add to my collection. That day, they had a “Booffy clone”—in great shape for something made in 1976—for 99 cents.

Um, YES, PLEASE!!! 😊

It was totally a God-thing.

It's a bit unreal to think that Booffy
once looked like this....

So now I can let Booffy go into retirement with a full heart, knowing he’ll be safe from any further damage, and that I still have a faithful mascot to keep me company. I thank God for once again showing me His love in the little things—things that, admittedly, are probably very silly to the rest of the world, but are deeply important to me.

I don’t know what to name my new companion yet—I tend to call him “Boof” or “Buddy-bear” when I call him anything at all, but I have a few ideas:

~Buddy

~Boffin

~Booffy 2.0

~Bingly

~Bradley

I’ll update this post when I’ve settled on a name. *UPDATE* Decided on Booffy 2.0 (or Booffy2), since that's how I think of him.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~ℛ~