Our youngest is here with us for a while and bringing such JOY to our pandemic days as we continue our three-generational experience here at the High-Risk-VanAmVilla.  She and her delightful feline companion, Coop, keep things fun, young, and energetic, especially for my dad.  The two of them have a deep connection and she definitely has a special way with Pop.

Gratefully, while staying with us, she is helping me tackle the daunting task of our attic. She understands how sentimental I am, why it is often challenging for me to let go, and how best to navigate this task with me as I recall the story about certain treasures.

A little backstory:  When we moved here three years ago, there was little time to deeply clean out everything from our home of 20+ years (even though MUCH was donated too), so instead of impulse decisions, several sentimental items were stuffed into bins, sealed, and loaded onto the moving truck for the 1,300-mile journey east.  In my defense, my parent’s house of 35 years had been completely cleaned out and sold while at the same time I retired and brought home an office filled with treasures, all within the same year.  Yes; daunting is an understatement.

Fortunately, we have a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, walk-in attic in our current home.  Unfortunately, it allows me the space to store bins of items we no longer require in our lives.

So in true 2020 reflective fashion, it is time to simplify this situation, be grateful for the service and JOY each item has given, and now pass along for someone else to treasure.  There are, however, a few items others will not find so “treasurable,” and sadly, Snuggle Bunny is one of them…

My favorite term of endearment, “Snuggle Bunny,” came into being before I married St. M (not very manly, but it makes him grin even today).  When our oldest was born, we both used the term “Snuggle Bunny” as we hugged her up.  Her first Easter, I stumbled across a t-shirt with this phrase (who knew?) and she “‘gave it” to her daddy as a surprise.  He wore it proudly until she asked to wear it to sleep one night at about age 3.  She wore the t-shirt as a night shirt until her baby sister took it over about five years later.

While I won’t reveal exactly when the shirt was officially retired, let’s just say it has endured multiple years of wearings and washings from three members of our family.  And as you might have guessed, this little jewel was folded on top of the first bin I opened.  Memories, stories, and anecdotes flooded me.  I’m so grateful for the comforting service of this soft cotton shirt stitching together two generations of our family in smiles and sweet dreams, bound in love.

So on Day ???? of our gratefulness journey (in true 2020 fashion, I have no idea what day it really is, but it feels like Nov. 239):  Ponder over a sentimental item in your life and the significance it continues to hold for you. Why are you grateful for it?  And the next time you’re cleaning out and find a special sentimental treasure, take a moment to reflect on your own “Snuggle Bunny” and gratefully remember it will always be a part of you, my friends. 🙂