One Loved Bear

Beneso (pronounced Ben E So) has had a rich life for a stuffed bear.  He has been my precious bear for 32 years.  After years of being my favorite (I think that I even took him off to college with me), I passed him on to my son when he was a toddler.  Lucas, almost 6, sleeps with him by his side or even lays on him every night.  And he generously shares Beneso with his little sister, Clara, who calls the bear "Nutho" and lovingly drags him around with her during the day.

When I was young, I was convinced that my Beneso was real.  Well now I know that he is...just like the skin horse described when asked by the Velveteen Rabbit the question "What is real?"  His reply was: "Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Maybe Beneso wasn't alive back then, but he surely is real now.  This shabby bear sure has been loved and has years of love left in him, if he can only stay in one piece.