Folding laundry this morning, I pulled my long lost, silky tunic from the towering pile. The blouse is so soft and flowing in various shades of turquoise . It is my favorite piece of clothing but has been missing for months!
Various dress-up items made it to the laundry after a weekend of family craziness. My mind was jogged! Several months ago my granddaughters had been putting on a play for us, using items from the dress-up basket. None of the dozens of choices were adequate for my youngest granddaughter to play the princess she had in mind, so she chose the tunic from my closet! With my permission, of course. My beautiful tunic had been hiding out in the dress-up basket all these months.
I buried my face in the soft folds of fabric.
"Do you know your love is infused into that tunic?" BabaMara whispered to me.
Magic! Can you imagine? I held it away from me and looked it up and down. I didn't see the magic!
"Why do you think, of all the blouses in your closet, that Natalie would choose that one to wear? She can feel the magic!"
It could be true, I feel the magic when I wear it, I just don't see it!
Wonder fills my mind, stirring everyone to sit up and take notice. I could feel everyone's thoughts sorting through their wardrobes.
Do you have a favorite article of clothing? An oversized sweater that you wrap yourself in for sitting by winter fires? Pajamas that are so soft you feel that you are floating in the clouds? A dress that rocks your body and leaves people fanning themselves as you pass?
"Baby, I love all my clothes! In everything I wear, I make memories. I live life to the fullest with every breath, so every blouse, skirt, pair of stockings is special. Even this old blue skirt!"
Using both hands, BabaMara holds her skirt as if to curtsy. She twirls around and around. Could that be rainbows and stars flying out of the pockets?
"In this skirt I have held babies, worked the soil in the herb garden, strolled on beaches, danced on mountain tops! This is the skirt I wore when we strolled down the path to pick blueberries on the ranch and the first time we walked in Lithia Park in all its autumn glory!"
Her skirt is, indeed, beautiful! Deep purple velvet, embroidered flowers and vines flowing around the pockets. Each pocket embellished with a strip or circle or triangle of ancient lace. Come to think of it, I do remember her wearing it while we wandered in and out of the almond trees when the orchard was in full bloom. She'd deposited several blossoms in one of her pockets and we smelled of spring for weeks afterwards.
She pulled a long scarf from one of the deeper pockets to dab away tears from her eyes. "Oh those were some good days!"
It just dawned on me! Every tear BabaMara sheds, she captures with that particular scarf!
"You have always been very perceptive, little one!" (at 63, I still love it when she calls me "little one")
"
Tears are filled with emotions. This fine cloth holds tears of joy and tears of sorrow and pain, love tears and love lost tears. I bring it out in times of crisis. The dried tears reassure me that no matter what the hardship, it too will pass and joy will fill our days."
"I was told tear drops are filled with toxins!" Waking slowly, Bill stretches his long arms, "so I stopped consuming toxins and haven't cried since!"
Did I tell you that Bill does not limit himself to quoting movies, books and famous or infamous personalities. He actually quotes my dad, a lot.
"Okay, Mr. Smarty-pants, do you have a favorite thing to wear?" Carly-Anne is awake!
"Have you ever seen me in anything but a white t-shirt and worn jeans?"
"Yes, I have! You wear that elegant tuxedo every time you yell, "Leeeeeettttttt's RRrrrrrummmmble! and what about the white-on-white when you were pretending to be Mark Twain at the family reunion?"
"Costumes, Carly! Not clothing!"
"Carly-Anne!"
"Carly-ANNNNNNNE!"
Regardless of what he says, we all know that Bill has four pairs of 501 Levi 's but he wears the oldest, most thread-bare pair almost all the time, substituting a newer pair only on wash day!"
Carly-Anne pulls on her favorite shirt-dress, a soft pastel rayon plaid of white, violet and yellow. "I love this one! I painted the best watercolor of my life in this dress and one day, I think it was a Thursday, I wore it on a picnic in the forest and Prince Phillip came riding out of the trees atop the biggest white horse I've ever seen. He sat with me and we ate cucumber sandwiches and he kissed me!"
"Sounds like a wacky-tabacky dream to me!"
"Bill!"
"Carly-ANNE!"
I scooped up a couple of piles of folded laundry and head down the hall to deliver them to their assigned closets and drawers. Ms. Machado ran ahead to open the doors to the linen closet.
"Do you remember the little white cotton dress we wore to Thanksgiving years and years ago? There were tiny flowers embroidered around the square neck. The dress was as soft as the most delicate hanky? It had the tiniest of buttons down the back and the skirt was full? That was my favorite of all times!"
"But, Ms. Machado, you always look so professional in your pretty sweater sets and pencil skirts, your pearl earrings and necklace! How could a simple little cotton dress be your favorite?"
Carly-Anne asks the most obvious questions sometimes!
"It is because I always look so professional, that I loved the romance of that little dress! We felt fresh and flirty and free when we wore it! You think it is easy or fun always worrying about looking professional."
Do you hear violins playing?
"All day, every day, pencil skirt! Meaning, remember to keep your knees together, sit with your ankles crossed! When you are all swimming naked in the pool or having food fights in the kitchen and I am wearing matching sea green shell and sweater and matching pencil skirt, who do you think is having the most fun, me or you?"
BabaMara takes the copy of "Quiet: An Introvert in a World That Won't Stop Talking" from Ms. Machado's hand and closes it. Sinthya takes Ms. Machado's other hand and the three of them walk off towards Sinthya's sanctuary of sensuousness!
Oh! Oh! We may be in for a bit of trouble. I see silk, cashmere and skinny dipping in Ms. Machado's future!
Various dress-up items made it to the laundry after a weekend of family craziness. My mind was jogged! Several months ago my granddaughters had been putting on a play for us, using items from the dress-up basket. None of the dozens of choices were adequate for my youngest granddaughter to play the princess she had in mind, so she chose the tunic from my closet! With my permission, of course. My beautiful tunic had been hiding out in the dress-up basket all these months.
I buried my face in the soft folds of fabric.
"Do you know your love is infused into that tunic?" BabaMara whispered to me.
Magic! Can you imagine? I held it away from me and looked it up and down. I didn't see the magic!
"Why do you think, of all the blouses in your closet, that Natalie would choose that one to wear? She can feel the magic!"
It could be true, I feel the magic when I wear it, I just don't see it!
Wonder fills my mind, stirring everyone to sit up and take notice. I could feel everyone's thoughts sorting through their wardrobes.
Do you have a favorite article of clothing? An oversized sweater that you wrap yourself in for sitting by winter fires? Pajamas that are so soft you feel that you are floating in the clouds? A dress that rocks your body and leaves people fanning themselves as you pass?
"Baby, I love all my clothes! In everything I wear, I make memories. I live life to the fullest with every breath, so every blouse, skirt, pair of stockings is special. Even this old blue skirt!"
Using both hands, BabaMara holds her skirt as if to curtsy. She twirls around and around. Could that be rainbows and stars flying out of the pockets?
"In this skirt I have held babies, worked the soil in the herb garden, strolled on beaches, danced on mountain tops! This is the skirt I wore when we strolled down the path to pick blueberries on the ranch and the first time we walked in Lithia Park in all its autumn glory!"
Her skirt is, indeed, beautiful! Deep purple velvet, embroidered flowers and vines flowing around the pockets. Each pocket embellished with a strip or circle or triangle of ancient lace. Come to think of it, I do remember her wearing it while we wandered in and out of the almond trees when the orchard was in full bloom. She'd deposited several blossoms in one of her pockets and we smelled of spring for weeks afterwards.
She pulled a long scarf from one of the deeper pockets to dab away tears from her eyes. "Oh those were some good days!"
It just dawned on me! Every tear BabaMara sheds, she captures with that particular scarf!
"You have always been very perceptive, little one!" (at 63, I still love it when she calls me "little one")
"
Tears are filled with emotions. This fine cloth holds tears of joy and tears of sorrow and pain, love tears and love lost tears. I bring it out in times of crisis. The dried tears reassure me that no matter what the hardship, it too will pass and joy will fill our days."
"I was told tear drops are filled with toxins!" Waking slowly, Bill stretches his long arms, "so I stopped consuming toxins and haven't cried since!"
Did I tell you that Bill does not limit himself to quoting movies, books and famous or infamous personalities. He actually quotes my dad, a lot.
"Okay, Mr. Smarty-pants, do you have a favorite thing to wear?" Carly-Anne is awake!
"Have you ever seen me in anything but a white t-shirt and worn jeans?"
"Yes, I have! You wear that elegant tuxedo every time you yell, "Leeeeeettttttt's RRrrrrrummmmble! and what about the white-on-white when you were pretending to be Mark Twain at the family reunion?"
"Costumes, Carly! Not clothing!"
"Carly-Anne!"
"Carly-ANNNNNNNE!"
Regardless of what he says, we all know that Bill has four pairs of 501 Levi 's but he wears the oldest, most thread-bare pair almost all the time, substituting a newer pair only on wash day!"
Carly-Anne pulls on her favorite shirt-dress, a soft pastel rayon plaid of white, violet and yellow. "I love this one! I painted the best watercolor of my life in this dress and one day, I think it was a Thursday, I wore it on a picnic in the forest and Prince Phillip came riding out of the trees atop the biggest white horse I've ever seen. He sat with me and we ate cucumber sandwiches and he kissed me!"
"Sounds like a wacky-tabacky dream to me!"
"Bill!"
"Carly-ANNE!"
I scooped up a couple of piles of folded laundry and head down the hall to deliver them to their assigned closets and drawers. Ms. Machado ran ahead to open the doors to the linen closet.
"Do you remember the little white cotton dress we wore to Thanksgiving years and years ago? There were tiny flowers embroidered around the square neck. The dress was as soft as the most delicate hanky? It had the tiniest of buttons down the back and the skirt was full? That was my favorite of all times!"
"But, Ms. Machado, you always look so professional in your pretty sweater sets and pencil skirts, your pearl earrings and necklace! How could a simple little cotton dress be your favorite?"
Carly-Anne asks the most obvious questions sometimes!
"It is because I always look so professional, that I loved the romance of that little dress! We felt fresh and flirty and free when we wore it! You think it is easy or fun always worrying about looking professional."
Do you hear violins playing?
"All day, every day, pencil skirt! Meaning, remember to keep your knees together, sit with your ankles crossed! When you are all swimming naked in the pool or having food fights in the kitchen and I am wearing matching sea green shell and sweater and matching pencil skirt, who do you think is having the most fun, me or you?"
BabaMara takes the copy of "Quiet: An Introvert in a World That Won't Stop Talking" from Ms. Machado's hand and closes it. Sinthya takes Ms. Machado's other hand and the three of them walk off towards Sinthya's sanctuary of sensuousness!
Oh! Oh! We may be in for a bit of trouble. I see silk, cashmere and skinny dipping in Ms. Machado's future!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Play Nice!