When my children were little, it didn’t take very much to keep them entertained. I’m not sure how many hours were filled with a little reindeer hand puppet we picked up somewhere. I would put the little fella on my hand and in a funny little voice begin to talk to them about whatever thoughts hit my brain.
Each of my kids has played with this toy, and quite honestly I had completely forgotten about it until the other afternoon when I was rummaging around in the garage for some packing tape. I happened to notice the little brown puppet inside a plastic box full of my daughter’s toys from days gone by, and instantly remembered the days of using him to make my children happy. I’m not sure if he ever had a name, and he probably managed to live in each of my kid’s toy boxes at one point and time.
Isn’t it funny the things we remember, or how our memories work? Before last Saturday when I was looking for a roll of clear tape, I never gave this toy a second thought, honestly even though the memories are locked deep within the recesses of my brain, I would have never even thought about him. But, seeing him through the clear plastic storage box, and beginning to remember all the times my kids laughed and giggled at the fun we had with him, at once there was a sense of nostalgia, and I had to bring him into my office.
This toy, while getting close to 25 years old probably cost me no more than five dollars back when he was purchased, and what would have possessed me to buy it back then anyway? Who would have thought a couple of decades later I would find him, and add him to the collection of things important to me in my office? I guess the thought of my future grandchildren and having fun with them like I did my own kids is why I rescued him from the box of toys.
While I know this blog may be more of a nostalgia tour for me, and not really mean that much to you the reader, I would ask you, is there anything in your life which you might want to hold onto because of the good memories attached to it? Do you think this is where hoarding begins?
As I put the puppet back on my hand, memories of my kids as little children replayed in my mind like watching an old eight millimetre home movies, I kind of felt like Clark Griswold watching home movies in his attic on that cold winter morning in the movie Christmas Vacation. It kind of made me long for those days when my children still lived at home.
And while you can never go back, except in your memories, this little puppet helped to take me back to a great time in my life. Being a dad, and playing with my kids was one of the highlights of my life, a time when I am pretty sure I was living a full life, even though at the time it just seemed to be a minute here and a minute there.
I’m pretty sure all those times I have played with this little guy; entertaining my children, I never had any idea of what this furry little puppet would mean to me later on in my life. He’s got a place of honor in my office now, and who knows, in the years to come maybe he will help me bring smiles and giggles to my grandchildren too.
Well until tomorrow, for the Kingdom and the King!
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