December 15, 2003 - From Ms. Mary to TML:
The little TaraBear sends a hug and a "hello" to you. Her mittens remind us that the Beanie people called her "Cold Hands, Warm Heart," although I think California has made it possible for her to have warm mittenless hands and still have a warm heart. There is a special little warm place in her heart for you because you helped her get here. She loves California. She was one of the first to greet the new bears from Phoenix.
On the Saturday I was in Phoenix, after lunch with friends, I decided on my way home to get a poinsettia for mom and dad. Near their home is a 1-800-FLOWERS shop, so I swung in. They didn't have their real poinsettias yet, just the silk ones, and I thought Mom wouldn't mind having a plant that didn't need particular light or any water, so I put one on the counter. Then I picked out some cut flowers for a bouquet. And then I heard a little voice calling, "Mary, help! Mary, I'm over here." It was the cutest little brown bear with big brown eyes a little too close together and curly fur. And while I was hugging him, a little white bear looked up at me with -- I swear -- tears glistening in his eyes and said, "Me, too, please." Well he had the softest white fur, and he wears a party cap, and the ribbon around his neck says "Happy Birthday," and his feet are slightly pigeon-toed, and when I squeezed his left front paw his little heart hummed "Happy Birthday to You" so very softly I think that is why he was left on the shelf. But I could hear him just fine.
Two bears so cute I couldn't even consider doing eeny-meeny-miney-mo to choose one. So I chose both, now officially recognized as The Phoenix Brown Bear and The Phoenix Birthday Bear.
So now I have three birthday bears -- two of which play music -- and I still don�t have an official Birth Day for the start of my new life. If the anticipation period lasts too long, I could have a living-room full of birthday bears by the time I have a Birth Day.