Silly Old Bear

Once there was a little boy who was camping in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. He made friends with another boy who was camping there, who lived on the other side of the small woods.

One day this boy decided to go visit his friend. So he set off through the woods. This little boy didn’t find his friend, though. He got lost. He kept walking until he came across a road. He followed this road to a bigger road, where he found a log, which was beside the road. He sat down on this log and started crying.

A few cars stopped to see if the little boy wanted a ride, but he said “No” between sobs. Finally, his father and two of his brothers came walking down the road looking for him, found him, and took him back to the campsite.

That little boy was me.

So began an autobiographical speech that I gave in Mr. Howell’s Eighth Grade Speech Class at William Adams Junior High School in Alice, Texas (back in the day).

I have fond memories of those camping trips to the Smoky Mountains. The scenery was amazing, especially for a young boy from South Texas. The walk to the top of Clingman’s Dome seemed like it took days, but the view was breathtaking!

And then there were the bears. The only place I had ever seen bears before was in the zoo. These bears, however, were not behind bars. They were black bears, not huge by bear standards, but certainly big enough by five-year-old-little-boy standards.

One night, some bears came romping through our campsite looking for food. From my tent I could hear them rummaging through the trash cans just a few feet away.

Another time, we were out driving, sightseeing, when we came to a place where cars were stopped in the road. We soon discovered why. Bears. Several black bears had decided that the paved road was a perfect place for an afternoon stroll. One bear was lying on his back along the side of the road, scratching his belly. Silly old bear!

During those same boyhood years in South Texas, I developed quite a fondness for another “silly old bear”, Winnie-the-Pooh (from the writings of British author A. A. Milne). Pooh bumbled his way through life, always looking for his next smackerel of honey. His innocence and naivete endeared him to me, and I loved the consistent sense of calm joy that characterized this Bear of Very Little Brain (and of Very Huge Heart). I want to be like Pooh!

And so I have entitled this little website adventure, “Silly Old Bear”. Through these pages, I hope to share with you some of my own bumblings through life, and the simple things that bring joy and peace and comfort to this Person of Very Little Brain. Hopefully I will say something that will touch your heart, or make you smile (or even laugh), or remind you of how beautiful your life really is. Thank you for joining me on this adventure.

About Me

My name is Paul O’Rear. I have spent most of my adult life serving as a Youth Minister in two churches of Christ in Texas. In 2008, I transitioned into the role of Involvement and Education Minister with the College Street Church of Christ in Waxahachie, Texas. I have collected lots of experiences in my 25+ years of full-time ministry, and I will share some of those experiences with you as you join me on this adventure.

I am married to my beautiful wife Susan, who stole my heart with the words, “You can sit here; I don’t bite.” (There’s a whole story behind that.) She was 16 years old and I was barely 19 at the time. We were just “kids”, but were deeply in love and had big dreams that we wanted to pursue together. A few years have passed since that fateful moment, and she has remained true to her word. She has never bitten me, even once!

Susan and I have been blessed with two beautiful children. Ashley was born in 1987. She was a headstrong, blonde-headed, hazel-eyed bundle of joy. Every day was a new adventure, both for her and for us! We got to keep Ashley for fourteen wonderful years before God took her home. She died of recurrent brain tumors in November 2001. She touched so many lives while she was here, and her influence for good has continued well beyond her parting. She was my Princess, and I can’t wait to see her again!

Justin was born in 1989. He was given the nickname “Bubba” even before he was born, and it has stuck with him all these years. Even though he is in college and is becoming a man, he will always be my Bubba. Justin’s goal is to become an Ag Teacher. 4H and FFA both played a very important role in Justin’s life throughout his boyhood, and he wants to be able to give other kids the opportunity to experience the same. Susan and I are very proud of him!

Thanks for stopping by my neck of the woods. I hope you’ll visit often! May God bless you as you bumble through life on your own Grand Adventure! Maybe we’ll bump into each other somewhere down the road.