JERROD'S TRUST

Please meet the real Jerrod, holding Mr. J.M. Buckingham.
Jerrod's lovely sister, Traci is holding her favorite bear, the exclusive Lord and Taylor Guinevere with wings!
An Introduction By Mary Jo Truax


This story to follow was done out of the kindness of a friend’s heart & was initially never intended to be shared. However, it is a special story and I did think it too cute to keep to ourselves - besides, it does give us an ‘in’sight (literally!) to how those adorable Boyds of ours are jointed!

Hearing a loud, mournful wail, I followed the sound into the living room to find my five-year-old son tightly curled up on the couch & staring at the floor in wide-eyed amazement. My eyes followed his to the sight of poor ol’ Buckingham laying there - having quite lost his head in his recent wrestling match with Jerrod!

Jerrod looked at me & said, "He’s gone! Buckingham’s head CAME OFF!" He was crying now - and he wouldn’t even LOOK at his favorite bear.

"Oh, honey … I’m so sorry! What happened?" That is what I SAID, but my mind was thinking, "Uh-oh! A sudden death retirement? Does Boyds know about this? Oh, dear!"

"Well, we were wrestling and I got him in a "Half Nelson" and look!!! His head is OFF!" He tearfully and slowly explained to me (as if to a smaller child than himself) … why didn’t his Mama get it? Why wasn't she as upset as he was?

The head was off and I could see that … but what amazed me the most was Jerrod's reaction. WHY? Well, because I know Jerrod! At least, I thought I did - but even I didn’t know to what extent his bear was "real" to him! In a moment, it came to me!

You see, Jerrod never had a pacifier, wouldn’t suck his thumb, never had a special toy that he needed at night, or a blankie. He loves his favorite people with a passion that makes you know you better have your balance when he comes to hug you, but he never had a special "thing"; a security "thing". I had always assumed that he just didn’t attach to things. I had no clue!

Then it all connected and I remembered . . . The moment he saw Buckingham, he said, "I LOVE THIS BEAR!!! Mama, can I have him?" Now, you have to know that my home is FILLED with all sorts and sizes of Boyds bears. They are not a novelty here and not one of them had ever caught Jerrod's eye for more than a moment - except he did like and did have his own Humboldt bear. So, I thought to myself, "Hmmm… a $55 bear for my son at this age?" Then I said, "Oh, I don’t know … you can play with him. But I think he will be MY bear, OK?"

From that moment on, Buckingham played all sorts of games. He was an Indian to Jerrod’s Cowboy. He would wear Jerrod’s cowboy vest and badge, hold Jerrod’s wooden rubber-band gun and be "Woody the Sheriff"; Jerrod was "Buzz Lightyear". (This is how Jerrod went 'Trick-Or-Treating'!) Buckingham was Santa in a hat at Christmas time. He went to the store and rode under the cart with Jerrod, to church (and was much quieter than Jerrod!), out to eat, where waitresses would flirt with both Jerrod & Mr. JMB, and of course Jerrod hated to sleep without his bear. Buckingham became Jerrod's playmate. Everywhere we went, so did Buckingham. I decided I better GIVE him to Jerrod when I discovered that Buckingham was telling Jerrod secrets!

"Buckingham is just his last name, Mom. His first name is Jason and his middle name is Michael." "He’s 74 years old!" "He is a Grandpa bear to my little Humboldt." "His favorite food isn’t honey; it’s macaroni and cheese or potato chips!"

(WOW!!! Where is the "plush expert" when you need one? I didn’t know all that!!!)

When Buckingham couldn’t seem to get himself together, Jerrod couldn’t even look at him! It was just too sad and waaaaay too scary for him to see his little buddy in that condition! This is what I was telling my friend, Gae, in an instant mail. I was feeling so bad for Jerrod. And so . . . read on to know the rest of the story! (And thanks, for indulging "Jerrod’s Mama" in reading this introduction!)

To start the story!

click-->Something's Always Cooking at Sally's Boyds Cafe! 

Contents and photos of this story are © Gae Sharp-Richardson 1998.
Background,images, animations and photo editing © Webspresso.
Send e-mail to: Sally@webspresso.com