Rainbow Bear

Dear Emma,
Our Ice Bear, but Nice Bear.
You coloured our world, 15 days early.
Weighing in at 6 lbs, 8 oz, you were the smallest one out of your sisterly bear bunch.
You have proven that Polar Bears are in fact born teeny tiny with hair so sparse, but they eventually grow to be larger than life.
And with a thick coat of hair that is impossible to brush.

Born on a cold Arctic winter’s day, the first sight of you immediately warmed our home and thawed our icy hearts.
As you grew and grew and grew, our hearts grew and grew and grew to the very same beat.
We soon found out that you were different from other Polar Bears. That you in fact, walked and stumbled to your very own beat.

You crave everything from bear hugs to human touch, from the cuddliest of cuddles to the kissiest of kisses.

Even as a 2 year old cub, you took matters into your own paws and revealed to us your fiercely loyal heart. You took care of you big sister bear while taking care of business when you fought off a bully bear twice your size, with just one strike of your paw.

Fighting for justice on the playground ain’t easy.
It can make you work up quite the appetite and a Polar Bear like you has got to eat because when your stomach starts to growl, so do you.
When hunger strikes, our once Nice Bear becomes an Ice Bear.

You have the slowest munch out of your sisterly bear bunch and eating can make you feel very sleepy.
But you will never get tired of eggs, milk, bread, vanilla ice cream that’s mixed til soft, gold fish crackers and donuts topped with rainbow sprinkles.

You despise yogurt, berries and gummy bears, berry, beary, much.
Because of your keen sense of smell, these very treats your sister bears love to feast, must be at least a kilometre away.

Then there’s the cold Arctic water. There’s something about it that makes you come to life. From the very first dip, you were never afraid to take plunge after plunge, sip after sip of the undrinkable sea water.

You, my dear Polar Bear, do well in the company of other furry friends and as our middle bear, stuck between a Grizzly and a Panda Bear, you are exceptionally good at keeping the peace.
Sometimes, as a solitary bear, you find comfort and peace going off on your own and doing your own thing, too.

But even as a bear who can survive in the Arctic waters and live on milk and bread alone, you quickly realize that you actually cannot live without a warm, loving hug.
Bread may sustain you for a day, but a warm hug can sustain you through a long and cold winter.

I know, it’s not easy or second nature for you to make friends, but the few who are close to you know very well that there is something special about you.
Your fur coat may appear white, but it’s actually transparent and reflects light which then can appear to be more colours than just white.
We know it’s in you to reflect that light and be that rainbow in someone’s world because you’re already a big, bright and colourful one in ours.
And as you grow and grow and grow, our hearts will grow and grow and grow to be larger than life, larger than you.

When solitude turns to loneliness and there are no other bears in plain sight, not even one furry friend a kilometre away, just know that you are never walking this trek alone.
You alone are always loved and there’s always a hug waiting for you from your Appa, Mama and Sister Bears.

Happy Birthday to my dear Emma who turns 7 years old today!
Keep on reflecting light, radiating love and showing your true colours to the ends of the earth and it will become an even more bright, colourful and magical place to be, all because it was hugged by you.

And always remember that you are loved.
Live in this Truth and live out love and you will always be hugged back, my dear Rainbow Bear.
J