The Teddy Bear Lady

To live generously one does not need to do grandiose deeds. Small gestures can have impact. Big or small one must only care to add value to the lives of others and seek opportunity to make the world a better place. Sweet gestures spread smiles, and smiles are carried miles beyond the moment! My Family and the people of Peoria Illinois know this to be true, because of one special lady. While many recall her name, others know her simply as The Teddy Bear Lady. I however am blessed to have known her as Nana and Grandma. Hers was truly a legacy of love. Throughout her life she was accomplished in many regards and to know her was to love her. The reach of her kindness can’t be fully comprehended, as many on the receiving end were strangers she approached with a smile.

I believe, my Grandma got her marvelous idea partly from her own mother. My Great Grandmother had expressed through the years that she had always wanted a teddy bear. She had been born in a time where not everyone could afford such things. She had never had one of her own and as an adult she had expressed sadness over it. My mom acknowledging this, rallied around the idea that everyone in the family gift their Grandma, my Great Grandma a teddy bear. This was momentous! It touched her heart. I venture to believe that all of this played a part in my Grandma’s decision that she wanted to gift teddy bears. Though I can’t confirm it, I do believe that the idea may have started as a tribute to her own mother’s memory. Regardless as to her reasoning, it became her trademark.

She made the decision to gift teddy bears to family, friends and community members alike. She made it her mission to give these to those choosing life. Those welcoming new babies into their hearts and homes. She knew life was the greatest gift given. She also knew choosing life was a great responsibility paved with blessings and challenges. She knew this first hand having raised eight children of her own.

Gifting these also was her way of gently taking a stance that said I acknowledge that in a world full of choices you choose to bring beautiful babies into this world! It was her way of saying thank you and bless you and your precious little one.

The mission of finding the most adorable teddy bears to gift became something that she shared with my Grandpa.

They worked together on many projects in their community and championed each-others endeavors for 63 years. I think my Grandpa found joy in championing this cause in particular, because they both had a sense of humor and found joy in making others laugh and smile. They would shop local whenever possible for quality and sweet-faced teddy bears. Not just any teddy bear would do. They had to have a special something. They all did! My Grandma took these everywhere she went. She carried these teddy bears in the car with her in a bag in the back. She insisted that they were ready and waiting to be gifted.

The teddy bears were always well received. I on more than one occasion watched her gift these and saw the smiles on the faces of babies and parents alike. Most memorable to me though was the sweet sparkle in my Grandma’s eyes. It was especially touching when she gifted them to people that were random strangers.

I will never forget and will always hold dear the teddy bears that she gifted my boys when they were small. Her goal was to spread joy! And boy did they ever! The teddy bears have been truly loved. Giving them was such a simple and sweet gesture. I have no idea how many she gave but I believe the number to be in the hundreds as I knew her to be doing this for at least the last decade of her life. It was her legacy of love. Every time that I see a teddy bear, I think of her, Everybody’s Favorite Teddy Bear Lady, and I smile.

With the state of the world today there is such a tremendous need to live generously. In my lifetime, I have been blessed to see and to be on the receiving end of many random acts of kindness. On the receiving end, these acts have carried me through moments of struggle and given me hope for humanity.

I think though there is something much more rewarding about giving. Every small gesture of kindness has a ripple effect and a reach far greater than we even know. I have made it a point to involve my boys in random acts of kindness. I have done this not for the credit, but to teach them a valuable lesson in how kindness matters. It is fun sharing these experiences with them. Seeing their eyes sparkle with the magic of having given a smile to someone else. It thrills me. I have instilled in my boys that afterwards we do not brag or require credit for the deed. At first this was hard for them to understand, but as time goes on, they have come to accept that we don’t advertise our efforts, we just sit back and see the smile and hope that smile, and our kindness is contagious. The reward is one we feel in our hearts.

In 2021 and beyond I fully intend to honor The Teddy Bear Ladies legacy as I seek opportunities to find ways to live generously. It is my hope that my efforts will be contagious. I stand firm in my belief that we should make efforts to leave this world and the people we meet better than when we found them. I credit my thoughts on the matter to the legacy of love that has been passed on through generations.