For the Everyday Matters "Toy" Challenge

My Darling Bobo

I haven’t had him very long. His fur is not rubbed off and his ears are still connected but he is very real to me. Last year, I was going through inner child therapy and started really paying attention to what the little girl inside of me wanted. I went to a toy store after therapy one night and found him. I instantly knew his name was “Bobo” and I fell in love with the sweet, tender expression on his face. When my toddler saw him, she immediately tried to claim him for her own. My therapist told me that according to “toddler property law” (my inner child being the toddler in this case) I didn’t have to share him. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t because he and I knew that ultimately he would be mine forever. I held him and cried many tears as I processed the pain inside of me. I slept with him when I needed to and sometimes he just came with me in the car like a little, furry guardian angel.

I have become even more intimately acquainted with him since I began drawing him. I love the look in his eyes and softness. I am very grateful to the warm and tender Danny Gregory for writing his very inspirational book, Everyday Matters, which I just finished. His deep-seeing and courage inspire me too look a little closer at life and appreciate each moment that much more.