What half a century + of love (and neglect) can do

The subject has been teddy bears around the house and with friends and family. I'm having special ones made for the now-and-future grandchildren. That made me think of my old friend, sadly and sorely neglected for many years, but still part and parcel of the household.

He never had a real name, just Teddy Bear. I even found one like him at a flea market once. Only once. The price was $25, which Teddy was flattered to hear when I told him, but alas, that price doesn't do him justice.

I think he's filled with straw. I can hear it crunch. He's been resewn and given new eyes and buttons and had many bows, but he doesn't have one now. I think someone, me!, needs to get busy.

But just to see what a half-century plus of love can do to a stuffed animal, here's the photo of Teddy I have from when I was 9 weeks old. Below it, the man he's become. There's a lesson here I'm sure, about neglect.