A kid at heart

Most of you would probably guess that my favorite toy growing up was a bunch of My Little Ponies. Well, that is partially correct...I did play with My Little Ponies (I had my own little stable full, believe me), and I also had a rather large stash of Barbie horses (I played with the Barbie horses more than the actual Barbies.)

However, the toy that I actually adored the most was my Pound Puppy. I can't exactly pinpoint how old I was when I got this gift, but it was quite cherished. My grandma and grandpa on my mother's side got the stuffed toy for me for Christmas one year. Needless to say, I slept with the darn thing EVERY SINGLE NIGHT following.


Well, unfortunately, somewhere along the way, when I was on a trip with my father and my sister, Mr. Pound Puppy got lost.

I. WAS. SHATTERED.

I'm pretty sure I still bear an emotional scar from that...and no, I'm NOT joking. My mom even tried calling the hotel where we had spent the night to see if they had found it there...no such luck.

I think as time went past and I got older, I wondered a bit at why something that seems so small now, was such a big deal for me then. And then, one Christmas not so many years ago, it dawned on me. It was because it reminded me of my grandparents...my grandfather in particular. How did it dawn on me, you might wonder?

An aunt and uncle of mine on my mother's side used to tease me about a Christmas video tape that they had kept at their home over the years. And on this video tape was apparently none other than moi, singing "Frosty the Snowman" at my grandparents house.

So, they made a copy of this video and gave it to my mom. I finally got a chance to sit down and watch it one afternoon, and was completely overwhelmed because it was this very Christmas on tape that my grandparents gave me my beloved Pound Puppy. Needless to say...I was bawling like a child. And it was then that I realized how much I missed my grandfather (my grandmother was still alive at this point in time), and that it was the little stuffed dog that I considered to be the only link I had left to him. My grandpa was very special to me, he taught me many things, and I lost him at a very impressionable point in my life.

The thought of that home movie can still bring a tear to my eye come Christmas-time, but I'm much happier knowing now that it wasn't for selfish material purposes that losing the toy was so hard for me back then.

I think everyone has something from their childhood that they cherish and that reminds them specifically of certain people who have impacted their lives, or certain moments that are dear to them. Hold on to those memories...they're important. And hopefully one day you will be able to pass along something special of your own.

Song of the day: "The Book of Love" The Magnetic Fields (because this song is beautiful, just like my childhood memories)