Just over 25 years ago, a little Build-A-Bear was purchased. It was bought for a tiny baby boy in Indiana, and the bear and the boy became fast friends, and the bear was cuddled every night for years and years.
Several states over, another bear was purchased for a little baby girl. This bear was also lovingly gifted, and it was also loved and cherished and cuddled as the little girl grew up.
Fast forward many years, and the boy and girl meet, fall in love, and plan a wedding. In the course of a move, the boy's bear turns up, and the girl notices his bear looks just like her childhood bear.
And so the mother of the boy asks the mother of the girl to borrow her bear, and she places an order at Build-A-Bear, and before long, the bears are dressed like this for the girl's bridal shower:
And the boy's mother is, of course -- yours truly! It was a funny feeling, buying a wedding dress and tuxedo for the bears. All of our kids received a bear from Build-A-Bear Workshop (BABW) when they were born, and they all became precious to the kids. Over the years I've bought countless BABW merch. We've gone to the store for "field trips" with our bears, when I needed an activity that was fun but free, where we could give the bears a "bath and a fluff". We've had BABW birthday parties and sang the silly songs and kissed the bear hearts and stuffed the bears with the fluffing machine. We've bought White Sox outfits and roller skates and bear swimsuits and shoes and tutus and even BABW underwear. Suffice it to say, a wee bit of our (and the kids') money was passed along to this establishment.
But I doubt I would have or could have ever imagined that my last BABW purchase* would be a wedding dress and tuxedo. When I was immersed in the little kid years, that was all I could see -- I hoped in the vague, hazy future would be the spouses we prayed for every night, but I couldn't really imagine it. And here we are. On the cusp of two weddings in 2027, welcoming two beautiful new daughters into our family. Young mom me just couldn't quite picture it, but the time came in a flash, and now my young man's bear is a sweet reminder of the little boy he once was, and his fiancée's bear brings to mind the same memories for her.
The bears have come full circle - they brought comfort and joy and a sweetness to my son and his fiancée as children, and now at the shower (and maybe they'll make an appearance at the wedding too!) they bring a tender reminder of who they were and who they're becoming. A big job for two ragged and tattered bears a quarter of a century old, but I've found sometimes reminders pop up in the most unexpected places.
* Last purchase? Who am I kidding? Something tells me that BABW will be accepting more of my money once grandchildren enter the picture. :)