"A Teddy Bear from Mom"

Part Two

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{CHAPTER SEVEN}

Timothy J. Davis

Copy Right, 1990.

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     I can't truly describe the elation I felt as I read that letter over and over again. She told us how proud she was and wanted so much to see us. My Mom said she tried to see us, but the court had taken her and my Dad's rights away and told them we had been adopted. She was told we had all been placed in a very nice adoptive home.

   She had moved to Connecticut and tried to start her life over again. My Dad and her had separated. He moved to California, and had a very difficult time with the loss of his children. We would later find out just how much that pain affected his life. Our Mom said she was going to contact social workers in Connecticut to see if she could visit us. The social workers in Connecticut contacted the social workers in Massachusetts, and they went to Connecticut to see my Mom at her home.

     Our case was assigned to a new agency in Massachusetts called the Department of Social Services, and it was the social workers from that agency that went to Connecticut to visit our Mom, and to apologize to her for how her children had been treated. After they came back to Massachusetts, arrangements were made so we could visit our Mom after nearly (10) years. In the mean time, I was moved to a very nice foster family near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A meeting was arranged between the two states within several months. The day of the visit was the happiest I had felt in a very long time.

       My younger brother and sisters did not have any memories of our Mom, but they know allot about her because I them about  her and said we would see her again some day. The social workers drove us half way across Massachusetts so we could meet her half way. On the way, they told us she was still sick, and the seizures had subsided a great deal, however, they caused her to slow down. They did not want to disappoint us by getting our hopes up. It didn't matter what they said about her, I always loved her, and I promised nothing ever again would separate us.

We arrived at the building where our Mom was going to meet us. My brother and sisters stayed close to me, and tried to keep up with me because I was running to get inside the building. We went in, they said our Mom, and our grandmother was waiting for us on the third floor in a large empty room at the end of the hallway. I ran up the stairs, got to the top, and ran down the hall, opened the door, and there, sitting in a chair was my Mom, her mother was holding her hands. I ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug and kiss I had ever given any one. Her hair had turned gray, and she had a perm. However, none of that mattered. By this time, the office had ten social workers in it. My younger brother and three sisters could not wait to meet our mom.

One by one, I led each of them to her, and she new each one. They each gave her a hug and a kiss, and we had so much to talk about. She showed us the baby pictures she had held on to all those years, and saved locks of baby hair. She also had each of our christening outfits. The visit lasted 4 hours, but it wasn't long enough for me. I didn't want to let her go again, but I had to. This time though, we had her phone number, she told me to call her collect, and she would write every day. She tried so hard to reassure me, but I did not want to go. Finally, everyone else left one by one, and I stayed with her in the room for the last few minutes. I sat with her, put my hands in hers, and said; Mom I will always and forever love you, always. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, and she couldn't either.

I had to let go. We walked out of the room together so it would not be like the courtroom situation 10 years ago. We walked out to the car, and I hugged her again. This time she got in the car with a social worker from Connecticut, she couldn't drive but she waved out the window, and the car disappeared around the corner.

I went to live with my new foster parents who agreed to take a teenager. It was two weeks before Christmas, and they were told they could only keep me until the day before Christmas and then I would be placed in a group home, or a detention center if their wasn't room.

They had a two-year-old boy, and a 5-month-old boy. They welcomed me into their home, and loved me as much as they loved their own children. We new we only had two weeks before I would be moved, but in that time they were the happiest memories I had as a foster child. My new foster father asked me if I would go with him to pick out a Christmas tree. I really did, he even opened the door for me. He let me pick out any tree I wanted and together we tied it to the top of his car. The car was smaller than a Toyota. When I got home, they asked me where I wanted to put the tree, I thought they were kidding, and I asked them; anywhere; and they said anywhere I wanted. It went in my bedroom that had large sliding Oak doors that opened up into a living room area.

They had just purchased a home and were remodeling it when I moved in. They didn't have allot of money. She was a part time schoolteacher, and he worked for a well-known business. Every day my Mom wrote a letter, and I actually waited by the mailbox for it to arrive. My new foster parents let me call her, and they paid for the long distance phone calls.

At the end of two weeks, the social worker came to pick me up, but my new foster mom asked her if I could stay with her family until after Christmas, she checked with her supervisor, and they said yes.

Every night when I went to bed, they left the lights on the Christmas tree plugged in, and I kept a photograph of my mom next to my bed. On Christmas, my foster mom made me some beautiful hand made gifts that I still use to this day. They were so kind and gentle; they helped me through a very difficult transition.

We were able to see our mom many more times, and over the next couple of years, steps were taken to prepare my mother so one by one we could come home to live with her. In the mean time, I went through several more foster homes and group homes. Grandma and Grandpa O'Rielly came to visit us and they always sent Birthday, Easter, and Christmas cards. They only had us for a brief time in the early 70's, but they never stopped caring. They never accepted any money after we left their home. They continued to give of themselves and never forgot us kids. They were, and still are, the best.

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{CHAPTER EIGHT}

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As time went on, I was able to visit my mother on the weekends. When I turned 17,I wanted to live with her, and the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut made an arrangement so everything would work out well. I also had the support and encouragement from my foster parents who lived near Cape Cod. It was a difficult transition to go from foster homes for so many years. With the help from my foster mother in Massachusetts, I studied for and received my G.E.D. They drove all the way to Connecticut to pick me up for a few days, and take me back to Cape Cod. Without their help, it would have been very difficult to get my diploma.

In1990 with the help and encouragement of my Mom, I began to think about starting a foundation to benefit foster children. I wanted especially to help kids who had been abused or neglected in someway, or were suffering from a terminal illness. My Mom began to make quilts for infants who were hospitalized due to abuse or an illness.

 

We wrote letters to companies all over the United States requesting material. In addition, that year we began to collect toys for kids in foster care, along with many other things. At the end of the summer my mother, several friends, and new volunteers had collected enough toys to have a Christmas party sometime in December.

We contacted several social workers and foster parents to see if they would be able to attend. We got allot of people who wanted to come. Through the support of private citizens, and local business’s we were able to get all the food and decorations donated, including the tree. In November of 1990, The Teddy Bear Foundation for Foster Children was established. On December 19, 1991, we had our first Christmas party.

It was also the 20th anniversary of that sad day so many years ago when my brother, sisters, and I were taken away from our mom.

The party was huge there were so many gifts under the tree, as a result, we had to move Santa’s Rocking Chair up in front of the tree. Santa gave out all the gifts one by one the kids came up to him and sat on his lap or said thank you if they were older.

At the end of the party after Santa had given out all the gifts, there was one gift left under the tree. I looked around the room to see if any child had not received a gift. Every child a gift, and was playing with them all over the hall.

My Mom went up to Santa to tell him something and he called me over. She got the beautifully wrapped box with a big red ribbon and gave it to Santa. Inside the box was a BIG FLUFFY TEDDY BEAR, the same TEDDY BEAR my mom had promised me that Santa would leave under the tree 20 years ago that day. There wasn't a dry eye from all the adults because my Mom had told them about the Teddy Bear I gave away, and the one I got back. It was a moment I will never forget, and it brought tears to my eyes remembering what my Mom had said so many years before. If you give something away that you love, it will come back to you in so many different ways. Section three is currently being written. Please take a moment to sign our guest book.

 

 

Sense1991, People from all over Massachusetts and different parts of the country have sent me TEDDY BEARS.I received so many that I ran out of space. I  to give them away to needy children. Some have asked me to keep the teddy bears they sent  but I cannot because there are so many children who could use a Teddy Bear to get through some difficult situations. Some of those places stand out because they were tragedies that should never have happened.

The first was a Nursery School in Scotland where a man shot several people, including him. The tragedy was the Okalahoma bombing. We sent Teddy bears to the children who lost brothers or sisters, or moms and dads. Sometimes we are reminded of how cruel certain people can be, and the tears and heartbreak their cowardly actions bring.

I read a poem recently that I think is very nice and I think it applies here.

If Teddy Bears could talk what would they say and what would they tell you about the children with whom they play?

They might tell you things you don't want to hear, like I miss my Mommy or losing someone I love, is what I fear.

The Teddy Bears of children are not just some toy; they're sometimes the only one they have left by some girl or boy.

So, when you see a child who is scared and alone give him a Teddy Bear that wants a new home.

Author.... Penny Vaughan.... 1998 (Paraphrased) Please take a moment to sign our guest book. We are in the process of updating this web page within the next few weeks.