Roley Transcends

Written by Shannon Leigh

If you knew me as a kid odds are that you also knew Roley, the wiener dog.

It's important to note that Roley was not a real dog but he was my favorite stuffed animal of all time.

It was the early 90's and Roley was my BFF.  He fit perfectly in my arms and between my legs as I wrapped his lanky body up for a good snuggle.

To this day I have no idea why Roley was THE ONE, I had dozens of stuffed animals.  But there was just something about him.  Maybe it was his floppy ears or his velvet nose?
He was a gift from my oldest sister.  We don't remember the occasion in which I got him but I remember receiving him.  He wasn't expensive or special in any way (my sister recently informed me that she picked him out from a bin at K-Mart) but he was truly the love of my life.

One time I was on a traveling softball trip (probably much too old for stuffed animals) and I left him in our hotel room.
I.WAS.DISTRAUGHT.
I remember sobbing and sobbing while my best friend, Jenna, had her arms wrapped tightly around me.  I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I was miserable.  I kept envisioning him in a trashcan somewhere or in the arms of another little girl.  I just couldn't take it.
Luckily my mom called the hotel and they found my lover dog wrapped up in the sheets.  They were kind enough to send him back to us in a box.  They had him folded up in a much too small box that didn't have air holes.  I was appalled at his treatment but I was so glad to have him back.  I am fairly certain that the crease in his mid-section remains to this day.
On family vacations my dad would prop him up on the steering wheel and wave at the cars whizzing by.  I thought it was absolutely hilarious.
Once Roley's ear got ripped off and I completely freaked out (I don't remember the exact details of how it happened).  I thought he'd never be the same. Luckily my mom was able to mend him but he still bears the scars of different colored stitches.

However silly it sounds, Roley was kind of my first baby.
The way I loved him was pretty intense.  I should have known how much more I'd love my REAL babies.  The Lord made me this way I guess, to love something/someone so intensely that it hurts.  I suppose it's a bit of a blessing and a curse. :)

When I outgrew stuffed animals I could never bring myself to get rid of my Roley.  He eventually got moved from the center of the bed to the top shelf of the closet.  I suppose this is the story for most stuffed animals.

When we moved into our new house last month I happened to unpack a box that housed my beloved Roley.  Ruby found him and instantly fell in love.  She is crazy about him and plays with him everyday.
There is clearly something special about this handsome little wiener dog.

He apparently transcends generations.

P.S.-this is what my house looks like on most days and YES, Ruby is wearing her purple dress AGAIN.  It's not worth the fight:)

I think it's fun that Ruby has been into both Matt and I's favorite childhood stuffed animals.
How could we forget her love for Bruno?


Um, wasn't this just yesterday?