The Teddy Bear

“What do you have there, Gabe?” Martin asked his nephew.

“Mom bought it for me at Mr. Partridge’s toy store. She said they call it a teddy bear,” Gabe replied.

“A teddy bear, huh?” Martin raised his eyebrows as he looked at the furry, stuffed bear his eight-year-old nephew was hugging close. There was something familiar about the new toy, but he couldn’t remember what. Then it hit him.

As his nephew went outside to play, Martin found the newspaper he was looking for sitting on the kitchen table. He skimmed through the pages until he found the article he had been trying to find.

The headline read, “New Toy Named After Softhearted President.”

Martin quickly scanned the article. Apparently, after a hunting trip, the country’s beloved president, Theodore Roosevelt, had opted not to shoot a small bear he saw while out on one of his expeditions. The small bear was the inspiration for a new toy, which was pegged with the name Teddy after Theodore, himself.

Martin folded up the pages of the paper and placed it back on the table. He smiled as he watched his nephew lugging the small bear across the backyard and saw him place the new toy in the center of the tire swing before giving the bear the ride of his life. Martin knew he wouldn’t even bother to explain the article to Gabe. To his nephew, it didn’t matter where the bear had come from or who it was named after. He would love his new toy regardless, and that was all that really mattered.