By Kev Le Chat
(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)
When I was a reasonably typical thoughtless twenty-something, I was hit with something that was hard to comprehend. My Mum was diagnosed with cancer. Being useless at expressing my feelings properly at the best of times, I did something spontaneous….I bought her a big teddy bear. It was probably a bit mental really, but in fact, felt like the completely natural thing to do, and she kept it in her bedroom always.
When she passed away, it came to me. I don’t know if she never named him, perhaps she did. But I so know that he is a lovely reminder of my Mum, not a painful one. When we visited New Orleans many years later, Miki and I brought him some Mardis Gras beads and some New Orleans Saints sunglasses, shaled like fleur-de-lys. He’s become somehow synoymous with The Big Easy since then! …and the French connection doesn’t end there, because on Planet Goodaboom, he was given a name ( you can’t live there without one) …it is Camembear!
I absolutely adore this picture. The little girl in me gasped and said, “oh, I want him!!!!!”
I’m glad you have such a lovely token of your mom.
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Thank you for your lovely words Ranae!
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Thank you so much, Ranae! I told my Dad, who wrote that piece about Camembear, about your lovely comment, he was very happy! We all here on Planet Goodaboom love already that little girl in you!
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