Take This Tune

Posted: Monday, November 16, 2009 by Travis Cody in
11

Take This Tune is a feature hosted by my pal Jamie at Duward Discussion. Jamie puts up a video prompt complete with lyrics to the song, and the task is to write something inspired by the title of the song or something in the lyrics.

I really enjoy participating in Jamie's feature because of where the prompts take my thoughts and emotions. This week's prompt is the song Sweet Baby James, a lullabye James Taylor wrote for his baby nephew.

The children in my family have one thing in common across several generations and family branches. We were all raised on the stories of Winnie the Pooh. My mother and her sister, my father and his brother, me and my sister, my three cousins by my mother's sister, my two cousins by my father's brother, my niece, and the two children by two of my cousins. I have no doubt that future children will also have a Pooh Bear, and be read to sleep from Pooh's adventures, and learn to read some of their first words from those same books.



But it goes further than that. My stepdad raised four daughters on Winnie the Pooh. And those were some of the first books he read as a child. As the eldest of six, he read Pooh stories to his siblings, and they grew up to share the stories with their children. And I'm told that his two granddaughters are part of the Pooh tradition as well.

I still have my Pooh Bear, and so does my sister. I bought my niece her first Pooh on her first birthday. And I know that some of the books my niece has in her little library are the same ones that my sister and I had. So many of the things we had as kids have been lost, but somehow those books and stuffed bears have stayed with us.

We're not an incredibly close extended family. We don't get together often. But there is a great comfort in knowing that something so dear is a common thread for every one of us.

Kenny Loggins, Return to Pooh Corner



We may not be able to go home again. Sometimes it's enough to carry a bit of home with us wherever we go.

11 comments:

  1. Durward Discussion says:
    16 November, 2009 05:51

    Wonderful. One of my favorite songs. I wanted to name my son Christopher Robin, but the husband would have none of this "Robin" business even with the explanation that is really, truly was a boy's name (He wasn't raised on Pooh or Hood for that matter). So Christopher Alan he is except in his mother's head. Tiggers are wonderful things and any time you need a quick fix, here are the Pooh Quotes

  1. TopChamp says:
    16 November, 2009 06:22

    That's a nice thought.

    I was never really keen on Pooh, but playing Pooh sticks was a favourite game when we were kids.

  1. Linda says:
    16 November, 2009 06:31

    My youngest daughter Jamie would love this post as she, too, loved all things Pooh as a child and still has every very first Pooh bear also.

    I was always more of an Eeyore fan myself - as my first tattoo would indicate! For the longest time, at Christmas or birthdays I would always get something "Eeyore" from my cousin and even have quite the collection of Eeyore Christmas ornaments.

    I think it's sweet that there's something that ties your family together like the tradition of Pooh - something that you will all continue to pass down through the ages. I've no doubt that the bear with very little brain would approve!

  1. Charles Gramlich says:
    16 November, 2009 07:22

    That brought a smile.

  1. Vinny "Bond" Marini says:
    16 November, 2009 08:37

    I love the song...I love the stories...I love your memories

  1. Anonymous says:
    16 November, 2009 09:49

    What a sweet post! I see that TopChamp commented about Pooh Sticks, too. I just played them with my granddaughter last weekend. She's nearly 12 years old, so we don't read the books anymore, but we were hiking a stream, spotted a bridge and found our sticks! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

  1. Akelamalu says:
    16 November, 2009 10:53

    Amazing what memories a song can evoke isn't it? :)

  1. Travis Cody says:
    16 November, 2009 17:15

    Jamie: I have an appreciate for Tiggers, but Pooh will always be the Bear.

    TC: We never had any bridges where we could play Pooh sticks. There were plenty of canals, but we were always warned not to get close to them.

    Linda: My sister once had a collection of little finger puppets of all the characters from the 100 acre wood.

    Charles: I'm glad.

    V: One of my favorite things about the animated specials was when the characters would jump from page to page.

    GGG: You are most welcome!

    Akelamalu: Indeed.

  1. Cinnamon Girl says:
    16 November, 2009 22:11

    I still have my Eeyore around somewhere and Kidlet was raised on Pooh too =)

    And I still love to say "Oh Bother!"

  1. j says:
    17 November, 2009 23:39

    I still love the songs "Little Black Rain Cloud" and "Rumbly in my Tumbly" (or something like that) - sweet memories!

  1. Lana Gramlich says:
    18 November, 2009 17:54

    There was a Pooh painting on the bedroom wall when my friend's parents took me in (off the street) as a teen. I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have, but life was so chaotic then. Love the Kenny Loggins tune, regardless. :)

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