A first friend…

A first friend…

He is just shy of a foot tall, he is cushy to the touch, has big dreamy eyes and seasoned blue fur.  


His fur is matted from the overzealous chomps of a teething baby, from the tight grips of a nervous toddler, afraid to enter the classroom without mom, and from catching tears that rolled off the soft cheeks that snuggled him after a big fall, a frustrating misunderstanding, or a temporarily little broken heart. 

Even when he remained IN the backpack, in a monumental step toward confidence, he bestowed courage.

His deflated limbs have stretched and hang heavy by his sides. They have been dragged from the room to room on midnight jaunts to mom’s nest, dangled from backpacks and sleepy little hands on the edge of sleep, hung over the car seat on long road trips, swung wildly in circles during living room dance parties, and tossed high in the sky performing amazing acrobatic feats. 

His one yellowed eye shows signs of aging and although he is seen as invincible, suggests vulnerability.  

He has seen the world…or at least Wisconsin, Florida, the Crazy J Ranch, Nanni’s cottage, and the Bahamas. 

He’s been present for the good news and provided comfort through the worst. He knows all, and is loved every bit as much as the first day he joined our family – more, really. 

He has been a trusted bed buddy for 2,205 nights…and counting. And when his days in the snug bed of the little boy who calls him a friend are over, he’s already been entrusted to that boy’s future children. 

  

He is a stuffed toy, but so much more than that. His name is Grover…he is a best friend, and he is loved.

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