The Velveteen Rabbit

I have been awaiting an opportunity when the house was quiet to read one of my all-time favorite books to Cody.  We had that chance this evening, followed by a completion of a library book we've had checked out for about two months, "Mr. Popper's Penguins."  What an adorable book that was!  

Anyway, I loved re-reading "The Velveteen Rabbit" for so many reasons.  First, I loved seeing Cody being taken in by the beautiful illustrations.  He audibly gasped, "Awwww!" when he saw the beautiful nursery magic fairy toward the end of the story.  

Also, I just love the message that passes through the telling of the book and the way it encourages its readers to believe in love and the power to make even a toy real.  

Finally, I love this book because there are several key phrases that jumped off the pages when I read it for the first time many years ago.  There are so many moments in this book that you can apply to life, and this particular one is a favorite of mine.  I will leave it with you this afternoon to ponder.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse.  "It's a thing that happens to you.  When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.  "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse.  "You become.  It takes a long time.  That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept."