Love Lasts

NOTE: This might not be as heartwarming as my Carl Bray story, but it's pretty darn close. I just love it when people reach out to others with acts of kindness or recognition. Makes me want to be a good person.

Anywho . . .

When I headed off to college in the summer of 1978, I took with me a poster that wound up living with me through all four years of university life. It was a poster of an Oneida silverware ad. I'd seen the ad in a Seventeen magazine and loved it. Turns out that when the ad appeared many months down the road, it was accompanied by a small-print line that offered a poster sized reproduction of the ad for a mere $5 plus shipping and handling. Apparently I wasn't the only one who fell in love with the image of a lovingly worn teddy bear.

When I arrived at Ohio Wesleyan University, it was tacked up on the wall above my bed, and continued to be through four different dorm rooms. The edges turned tattered and riddled with holes.

After graduation, I framed the poster and hung it in my first apartment, then my second apartment. I kept the poster up until Harleigh and I moved into our house in 1999. Then, in a rather what-was-I-thinking moment, I decided that it had lived a good life and I was ready to send it off to Goodwill.

I'd long since forgotten about the poster until her senior year hit. With Harleigh going off to college, I was nostalgically reminded of heading off to school and the things that made me feel connected to home and just plain happy. I wanted this poster back. On the off chance that I could find it, my intention would be to get it framed and give it to Harleigh for her dorm room. But wasn't quite sure if she'd go for that. So I told her that I was trying to locate it, just to see what her response would be. "Oh, Mom, I remember that poster. I loved it and wondered why you gave it away."

And so I googled 'til I could google no more; for close to a year I searched and searched. In desperation I called Oneida last week. Ya know how sometimes you get a customer service person whom you just connect with? The conversation that ensues takes you back to the old days when you got a person right away and they were truly there to bend over backwards to do whatever it took to make you happy? Well, dang it, I got JUST that person!

I told her my story and the first thing she said was, "I'm going to find that poster for you. I know exactly which one you're talking about. Give me a few days. Give me your phone number." Well, that afternoon I got a call . . . "Dawn, this is Cathy from Oneida. Got your poster and it's in the mail. So glad I could help!" And it arrived, and a flood of memories washed over me. This poster is a tad bit different from the one I had. Mine had a picture of a spoon at the bottom, the "Love Lasts" sentiment was actually on a silver disk on a necklace around the bear's neck, and the ribbon was pink. But I love that it IS a little different; sorta Harleigh's version of the "poster that will follow you throughout your college years."Wondering what kind of thank you I can send to Cathy. Perhaps a picture of Harleigh standing in front of it. Not sure, but this gal will so be acknowledged for something she did out of the goodness of her heart.