Friday 4 March 2011

Pink memories of a baby doll -- and a lesson

I am camera-less for now, so my Pink Saturday post has to rely on words and other people's images.  But the memories are all mine.

I was thinking the other day about a doll I used to carry around with me, a pretty little doll with a pink outfit I loved...Baby Cuddles.  (I'm amazed that I actually found a picture of her online!)

Lots of little girls have memories of a special doll that they loved.  But this was different.

Cuddles taught me a lesson I've never forgotten...you see, I really wanted that doll.

I REALLY wanted that doll.

And then a few days before my third birthday, I saw a box on the dining room table that looked like the doll box (At almost 3, I couldn't yet read the cursive writing on the box, but I remember it looked as pink and pretty as the doll box in the store) ... and so I peeked.  I lifted up the bottom corner of the box, and looked inside. It was the doll!

But instead of feeling good, I felt awful!  At 3, I knew I had cheated, and on my birthday morning when I had to pretend to be surprised, I felt even worse. 

I had the exact doll I had wanted, but my peeking had stolen some of the joy.  I loved that doll (I still have her, in our storage for now) -- but I never forgot the lesson.  On that spring day, I learned that some things are better left for the right time and place. And over and over, throughout my life, I've stopped myself from "looking ahead" or trying things that were best left for later...all because of Cuddles.

It's funny how a small event early in life can teach us so much.  I've met so many people who have equally memorable -- and meaningful -- early memories.Events or words that shaped them for years after.

But this was such a little thing.

If it was a major event, I could understand the lasting impact.  But this was small.  And my parents never knew, so there was no punishment or scolding to make worse. So how could that small action have so much impact?

Maybe it's because we are a tabula rasa at that point, and in our uncluttered state, the little things mean more. Or maybe it's because we are still so fresh from G-d, and open to the lessons.

What lessons from childhood have you kept in your heart?

Happy Pink Saturday!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy pink Saturday. Love your post. A good lesson to learn at a very young age. Love your blog header too. I updated mine the other day and was considering using this one,

Cheers,
Lisa x

Unknown said...

Thanks, Lisa. I want to create my own custom header...as soon as I have some time to spare! LOL! Or when I figure out what spare time looks like!

Wanda Metcalf said...

Very nice post. I had the same thing happen. I felt awful and to top it off my mother re-wraped the gift because it was from my grandmother. my grandmother knew that was not her paper and a whole thing was made! The biggest problem was it all started really because of my sister not me...yea, who will believe that! I so glad you still have her we had a house fire and I lost everything. But God gives us memories.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Deborah Kay at The Paint Splash said...

This is an awesome story. I am surprised you can remember from 3! My lesson was also from a doll. It was Christmas morning and we went to the tree, there stood 2 beautiful life size dolls. I went straight to the blond and started hugging her. My parents were watching and said, You might want to check that that is your's and not your sisters. I had fallen in love with the right doll but realized too not to anticipate. Blessings and HPS

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What a wonderful post about a well learned lesson from Childhood!
I do love your sweet doll!

HPS!!

HUGS,
Debbie

Kathy said...

She's sweet. This is the second post I've seen where someone mentioned a special doll and that she was temporarily in storage -
You were quite the sensitive young lady!
Happy Pink Saturday
God Bless,
Kathy

Gabriela Delworth - Instructional Designer said...

Happy Pink Saturday!


Great post and love your blog banner!


~ Gabriela ~