Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A Beary Special Gift

In 2005, my dad passed away unexpectedly. The following Christmas, my sister Mary gave each of us siblings a very special gift.

Flannel shirts were the staple of my dad's wardrobe; he had a closet full of them. Mary took nine of those shirts and took them to a very creative woman who took the shirts and made them into teddy bears. Each of us siblings got to choose one of the bears, and mine has a special place on my vanity.


Mary attached a little card to each bear, with a special message from her. Pretty thoughtful, huh? I share this with you simply because I noticed the bear the other day and thought I should pass it on, in case you know someone for whom this idea would ease the pain of loss.

Sorry, the lady who made our bears no longer makes them. If you're into sewing, you can probably find a pattern on-line somewhere. Good luck!

21 comments:

  1. What a great idea! How thoughtful!

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  2. What a beautiful idea, and a gorgeous bear it is too.

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  3. I love that idea. I actually have a pattern for a bear like that. My sister and I used to make them and sell them. What a great idea. I think I'm going to do that for some people....

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  4. That is a brilliant idea! Absolutely brilliant and worth remembering.

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  5. What a thoughtful special gift. A treasure for you to have your dads shirts near
    ps My Mom passed away that year, unexpectedly also :(

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  6. Wow that is such a great idea and a memory that last for years and years to come.

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  7. That is a great idea!! I can see so many uses for that idea. Thank you for sharing.

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  8. How sweet is that? Hmm, I wonder if there are any of Papa's old shirts still around, he loved flannel too!

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  9. That is a wonderful idea. I've thought about doing something similar with my mother's old baby quilt.

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  10. that is a fantastic idea!! can i pass that along within our military circles?? it's a great idea for the loss of any loved one, or for kids of a deploying parent!! i am so glad you have something special to remember your father with!

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  11. Good thing he wasn't into speedos. You would have little bears.

    Ok sometimes I just can't help myself. That really is a thoughtful remembrance and I suspect someone out there would make them. Now a pillow made as a remembrance would be a pillow that even I could understand deserving special treatment.

    all the best

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  12. What a sweet idea. My grandmother made me a vest out of my grandfather's ties after he passed away in 1991. I still treasure it (and wear it to school on Grandparent's Day to honor him).

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  13. Having lost my dad too, I know how meaningful that would be to me. Absolutely wonderful!

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  14. How beautiful and amazing. My grandfather wore flannel shirts as well. I received one upon his passing almost 15 years ago. I still wear it...but not as often as I could. I might use this idea myself...thank you so much for sharing. You've touched my heart and made me smile and cry.

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  15. It's interesting how sometimes we see the things in our lives with different eyes. I'm sure you notice the bear each day, but today you noticed the bear through the eyes of someone new. Thanks so much! What a great idea.

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  16. This is one of the best ideas I have ever heard of. Truly.

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  17. Now this is just the sweetest little gesture I think I've ever seen.

    God bless and enjoy your day sweetie!!!

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  18. Very thoughful:) I think it is cool how the one person mentioned making teddy bears for the people in military too, like kids for their parents who are deployed or loved ones lost in the military. Great idea Mary!!!!! Lisa

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