TheBanyanTree: RAG, TAG, AND BUDDY JOE

[Sharon Mack]

Last night at bedtime, my daughter laid down with Gage and read him the
story.  He cried.  After she was finished he HAD to call me (he can be
very dramatic) to thank me.  He said he had been VERY worried but he
felt better now.....wish all problems could be solved so easily!

Sharon

>>> "Jan Denke" <j_denke at hotmail.com> 9/21/2004 11:26:52 AM >>>
What a sweet story, Sharon! I hope your grandson likes it and that it
gives 
him some comfort over the loss of his blankies...

Hugs,
Jan


>From: "Sharon Mack" <SMACK at berkshirecc.edu>
>To: <thebanyantree-remsset.com at lists.remsset.com>
>Subject: TheBanyanTree:  RAG, TAG, AND BUDDY JOE
>Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 09:59:24 -0400
>
>My youngest Grandson, though nine years old, lost his beloved
blankies
>while on a trip to New York with his father.  His mother had warned
him
>not to take them but he had insisted because he was afraid he would
not
>be able to sleep in the hotel in a strange bed.  He, sadly, forgot
the
>blankies in New York and, though a phone call was made, they were
gone.
>It broke his heart.  He was horrified that his beloved blankies might
>have been put into the trash.  His mother asked me to write a story
to
>comfort him a bit.  This is the story that I wrote this morning for
>Gage, my grandson.
>
>
>RAG, TAG, AND BUDDY JOE
>(a telling by Grandma Mack)
>
>Once upon a time there were three blankies, Rag, Tag and Buddy Joe.
>They disguised themselves as diapers so that only the very smart
would
>know who they really were.  They knew that if they were discovered
that
>they would be with just the right child and they would be able to
spend
>their "blankie" lives happy as bugs in a rug...warm and cuddled and
>absolutely loved.
>
>Rag was the leader.  While they waited in their diaper package to be
>bought by their magical family he would tell stories to the other
>potential blankies to see who was listening.  Tag was the first one
to
>perk up and listen to his stories.  Tag wanted to be loved by a child
>and to learn to snuggle.  He asked Rag a lot of questions.  He wanted
to
>know about this special baby that would keep them and love them.  The
>other diapers poohed-poohed Rag and Tag and told them they were crazy
to
>want such things.  There were REAL blankies for babies and they would
>get the jobs of comforting children, NOT diapers.  Buddy Joe would
>pretend not to listen, but he just couldn't help himself.  The
stories
>were wonderful and he secretly longed to believe in them.
>
>Then one very special day it happened...just like Rag said it would. 
A
>blonde girl came in.  She had a huge tummy.  Rag told the diapers
that
>this as "it."  They would be bought for sure.  She was going to have
a
>baby.  That's why her tummy was soooooo big!  The other diapers
>couldn't help but hope he was right.  Suddenly they were lifted from
>the shelf and put in a moving cart. The ride was a short one and they
>could feel the movement as they rode through the store.  As they rode
>the conveyor belt to be checked through the cash register the sounds
>excited them.  They could hear all the voices of the shoppers clearly
>and they loved being bounced from place to place.  They knew they
were
>going somewhere at last to be a part of a new baby's life.  Even
>Cynnie, the most cynical of the diapers had to admit it was quite the
>adventure.
>
>Once they were brought to the house where they would live, they were
>placed once more on a shelf.  Everyone was silent for a very long
time.
>They didn't know what was happening and why they were back on a
shelf.
>  They waited and they waited.
>
>After several months things began to change.  They were taken out of
>their wrapper at last and placed with a lot of other new diapers in a
>drawer in the changing table.  The blonde girl was even bigger now
and
>she hummed all the time while setting the room just right.
>
>"The baby's coming, I just know it," Rag whispered.  Tag nodded in
>excitement and squiggled in his pile so much that they became
>disarrayed.  The blonde girl came and straightened them out.  Tag
liked
>the feel of her warm, soft hands.  This baby was going to be one
lucky
>baby!
>
>And then at long last it happened.  The baby came home.  It was a
boy.
>A boy named Gage.  "Terrific name," they all agreed and immediately
they
>were put to work covering the baby's bottom.  He wiggled and squirmed
>and ate and slept and cried and cooed.  All the diapers thought that
>their baby was the greatest in the land.  They loved being with him
and
>couldn't wait until it was their turn to serve.
>
>As the baby grew, some diapers were pulled from the pile and used
>beneath the small child's chin to catch his milk as he drank.
>Everyone liked this job best and if they were lucky they were put to
bed
>with the child and allowed to sleep with him.  Rag, Tag and Buddy Joe
>loved this the best and sometimes at night would trade places with
one
>of the other diapers in the hopes that they would be chosen for this
>job.  Buddy Joe became a believer overnight.  Once when he came back
>from his first trip to night-night with the boy he cried.  He had had
>such a good time and had at last learned cuddling.  The baby had
>snuggled him that night.  "It was W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!"  he had said
>ecstatically.
>
>As the baby, Gage, grew, the Mommy (that was what the blonde girl was
>called) came to choose the three believers more and more.  Soon they
>were the ones that the baby himself was choosing.  Rag was definitely
>the favored blankie, but Tag ran a close second with Buddy Joe the
>runner up.  The diapers now were officially designated, "blankies."
>They were very proud and now all the diapers in the cupboards and
>drawers were believers.
>
>Cynnie was sure that Rag, Tag and Buddy Joe's luck at being a blankie
>would change soon.  "It won't last forever," she warned them.
>"He'll grow up and tire of you.  He'll want games and toys and
>then there's that thing they call school.  He'll drop you then for
>sure."
>
>But the three little blankies didn't care.  They would hang as long
>as he wanted them.  They couldn't worry about the future.  It was the
>now that was important.  They wanted to enjoy every minute that they
>could with Gage.
>
>Sometimes, as Gage grew, he would go away for the night.  If the
>blankies were lucky they would be taken with him.  Sometimes he took
one
>(Rag was his favorite), but sometimes he would choose one of the
others.
>  The best trips of all were the ones where he took all three.  That
was
>the way it was when he took them to New York.  It was the most
exciting
>adventure they would ever have.  They watched and hoped as the
suitcases
>were being packed, and sure enough, they got in.
>
>The blankies by now were nine years old, and for a blankie that can
be
>really old.  Rag was really feeling his age now and had lost a lot of
>weight.  Gage didn't seem to mind.  He loved him best anyway.  Tag
and
>Buddy Joe were feeling their age, too, but not quite as badly as Rag.
>They began to hear stories of other blankies who had been retired. 
Some
>were believed to have gone on to blankie heaven.  It was said that
this
>is where they waited with the puppies and the kitties to be reunited
>with their loved ones.  Rag, Tag and Buddy Joe weren't sure they
>believed these tales at first, but as time went on, the biggest God
of
>all sent an angel to them while they slept and told them to believe,
>that it was so.  Ever since then, they didn't worry about their age.
>They knew that no matter what, one-day they would be in the
>'forever' place with their beloved Gage.
>
>That's what the blankies talked about while they traveled to New
>York.  Rag especially knew his time was short.  They decided that
>whatever happened, they would stick together and if Rag were to
leave,
>the others would go with him to await Gage in the forever place.
>
>The trip was wonderful.  Gage was the happiest they'd ever seen him.
>He loved being in New York with his Dad, and he never once went to
bed
>without his beloved blankies.  It was quite a trip but when it came
to
>the end Rag knew in his blankie of hearts that he would not be able
to
>return to the job he loved so much.  He cried the last night he spent
>with Gage and wished he could tell him all he knew about blankie
heaven
>and the angels, but the angels said Gage would be told later by his
>Grandma and not to worry.
>
>As the dawn began to appear pink in the sky the angel whispered three
>names.  "Rag, Tag, Buddy Joe.  It is time to go."  She lifted them up
>into her arms and before they knew it they were looking down at their
>sleeping boy through the clouds.  They were amazed at how much he had
>grown.  He wasn't their baby anymore but a full sized boy and they
>knew...they knew as sure as the wind and the sun that he would be
just
>fine.
>
>
>
>
>