The first time I went camping with my daughter, Norah, she was five. This was years ago. It was a daddy daughter camp out put on by my church, and I brought this wind up musical teddy bear on a whim because I thought it might help her get to sleep. It did, actually, which was awesome because I was worried I’d be up all night with her. We used it each time we went camping for the next couple summers. Then it disappeared.
We went camping awhile ago, and as I was helping my youngest, Aspen, get ready for bed, I found that same musical teddy bear in her bag. When I asked Aspen why she packed it, she told me Norah put it in her bag because it helped her not be scared at night.
To be honest, I’m not sure where we got that teddy bear. I’m not sure how it stayed with us with all the moving we done over the years. But what I can say is that night camping, I wound up that bear, same as I did with Norah, and let it play “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.” Aspen snuggled into her sleeping bag, the sun going down outside the tent, and fell asleep. And once she did, I had a feeling that bear had become something pretty significant to both my little girls.
It’s not just the bear … ❤️