Tricycle | Awake in the World

Sifting through the images of Oklahoma City for signs of continuity and renewal, the most poignant to emerge - the saddest and the most disturbing - is that of a city whose grief came to be symbolized by the sudden presence of teddy bears. Men, women, and children alike seemed to clutch these comfort toys to their chests as if, without the softness and the innocence the toys symbolized, their broken hearts might collapse into the graves of the newly dead.

John Lennon sang, “Whatever gets you through the night, is all right, is all right.” He might have been referring to drugs or loveless sex or a night of hard drinking - or to teddy bears. In the wake of national and personal calamity, if teddy bears provide solace and a safe place to bury tears, then bring on the teddy bears. But to refrain from judging the avenues of comfort does not mean denying the lessons that may be learned from those choices.