A Vintage Costume for a Vintage Birthday

One of the writing prompts at Writer’s Digest suggests writing about a time you got dressed up in your favorite costume and describe why it was your favorite.

This was a hard one for me because I’m part of a family that loves to party and I’m embarrassed to admit how many times we’ve celebrated events with themes and costumes. But one event does top all the others. Months before I turned 50, my oldest daughter approached me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. She told me to think about how I would like to celebrate my special birthday and she would do anything possible within her means to make my dream come true. I told her my secret desire that I pondered often was to host an elegant Victorian high tea party and would she be my maid?

The girls in my Bible study responded to my tea party invitation with girlish glee. To my amazement, three of them found Victorian patterns and began to sew their outfits. A few of the others began to team up and go “thrift store shopping” hunting for vintage treasures. I got busy researching the Victorian Era and found tidbits of interesting information to share about the women of that time. I designed my daughter’s maid costume and made my own Victorian skirt. When I wasn’t sewing, I was baking dainty cookies and pastries and freezing them for the big event. I purchased a tea set at an antique store. I placed doilies everywhere! The lady at the craft store was as excited as me helping me with my homemade flower arrangements. I bought hand mirrors for each woman that I decorated with fabric and flowers. During our last cup of tea, it warmed my heart when I gave the mirrors to the women and watched everybody lift up their mirrors and primp at once! It was a snapshot memory I keep in my heart.
I will always be grateful to my daughter for supporting me in this dream and making it come true for me. She was exhausted by the end of the day meeting all of my needs. It was, indeed, a landmark birthday!

A Memorial Day Reflection

Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls. Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts run through my mind. The journey of loss takes on various emotions. The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness. In a split second, I would forget he departed forever. I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home. My mind is realistic now. He's not coming back. There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars. He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day! And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...

Mama's Lipstick

I always wished I could do things with my mom like shop in the mall, share makeup secrets or go to the movies and watch romantic comedies. My wish never materialized. My mama behaved like a tomboy. She loved baseball and pitched with a strong right arm. She could care less about the latest fashion or the latest movies featured on the big screen. She never polished her fingernails. One day after elementary school, I walked into the house to find my mom all dolled up in front of the bathroom mirror, foundation crème, powder, eyebrow pencil and rouge all over the counter sink. “Who are you?” I asked, thrilled to see my mama putting on the Ritz. Makeup in place and blotted, she immediately took it off. “I don’t like the way it feels,” she exclaimed. She retired in Arizona and protected her dry lips with a light rose lipstick, the color of natural lips, a step above ChapStick. She wore it a few tim...

Book Review of Biblical Minimalism and Give Away

What does minimizing look like? To the empty nester it may mean downsizing real estate. To the co-dependent, it may mean pitching some toxic friendships they tend to collect. I thought I had a handle on Biblical minimalism, but I wasn’t even close. Biblical minimalism is much more than cleaning out a drawer and discarding unwanted things into a box to take to the thrift store. In her book, Biblical Minimalism, Cheryl E. Smith defines Biblical minimalism as “a complete, whole person release of anything unlike Jesus, a letting go of everything that hinders us from following Him wholeheartedly and single- mindedly , and a relinquishing of all that brings us under bondage to this earthly, very temporary life.” The author gives us a visual of a whole pie that is divided into eight slices. Each slice describes our lives with areas to analyze to see if pruning or adjustment is needed. I won’t name them all, but one example is the “emotional ...

Choose Joy in the Journey

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