Remember BB, Lilly’s magic comfort bear a friend sent us a while back? Well, there’s a new bear on the case. She is small enough to fit in a pocket, and the story of her name never fails to make me giggle.
Meet Gladly, The Cross-Eyed Bear
You see, it all began with Jean Patty Armstrong — my friend Martha Armstrong’s mom. The daughter of a Methodist minister, Jean listened to hear dad speak about the “Cross I Bear” … except she thought he was saying Cross-Eyed Bear.
In Jeans life, when things didn’t go quite right or she faced new challenges here and there, she called them her “Cross-Eyed Bears.”
Jean began making and sending Gladly, The Cross-Eyed Bear, to people around the world in 1995. After her death, her daughters continued the tradition.
So, whatever comes up next, Lilly and I have a tiny Gladly, The Cross-Eyed Bear, in our pocket … bearing witness to good times and bad.
Gladly, The Cross-Eyed Bear, has a Facebook Fan Page, if you’d like to follow along.
He looks like my sweetheart doggy 😀
Very sweet bear and very sweet story. Hope you and Miss Lilly are doing okay.
That dear, sweet Lilly.
hah, cross eyed bear…
How great that her daughter is carrying on the tradition!
I find it very touching that you have a bear called Gladly the Cross-eyed Bear. 🙂
What a cute story and a cute bear. I love that the daughters continued the tradition.