Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Worth Repeating: Nick's Bears Jacket

Look at this jacket. Would you believe, it's 21 years old? (Now 26 years old.)  I remember when we bought this coat for Nick. We had just moved from Chicago to this small little town. It was a very hard move for all of us, especially for Nick who was a die hard Bears' fan. We moved into die hard Vikings' country.

One of the things we were concerned about was finding a sporting goods' store that might even carry Bears' items. We found one. Actually, it was the only sporting goods store in town. Today, that little store has grown into one huge store, but, at that time, it was tiny.

We walked around the store with Nick. All we seemed to see was Vikings, Vikings, and more Vikings. Nick was pretty down, then, as we turned to a very small rack with coats, we saw it! This Chicago Bears' jacket. Nick's frown turned to a smile, and we bought the coat. He was ten at the time. He was pretty small and scrawny at the time, and the coat was big, but it gave Nick a much needed boost and touch with home.

Eventually, Nick outgrew the coat, went away to college, moved back to Chicago, and I inherited the coat. I've used it since then, not as a daily coat, but as a dog walking coat. I walked Oliver in that coat, (our bassett hound). I walked Bailey, our first greyhound. I walked, no, Spike walked me in that coat for 13 years. Now, I walk Pixie in that coat. The coat is 21 years and full of memories. Who would have thunk? It's a part of our family history, and it's still here.

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