Old Lace and Promises

So I was in a cleaning mood today and I got in several closets and pulled out stuff to throw away or give to charity. I then went out to the garage to organize it a bit so my daughter can pull her car in as it is beginning to get colder and the threat of frost is more likely. She had a friend over and they were curious about one of my boxes I was moving - the big white one. They asked the contents and I told them and said I was thinking of getting rid of it. I'm not exactly sure why I've hung onto it. For someone who isn't very sentimental, its out of character for me to be so attached to this item.

The girls, however, had another idea. They wanted to see the contents. So..... we opened the box. They were suprisingly complimentary of this item. So much so that my daughter even wanted to try it on! Now I - at this age and being the non-sentimental person that I am - had no interest whatsoever when my mother took her wedding dress out and showed it to me! However, Anna took a liking to my dress - all except for super puffy sleeves that looked like wings on such a small girl. I can't believe I didn't take flight when I wore it almost 20 years ago. And what surprised me even more is that the dress fit her. We discussed ways we could have the dress altered to look a little more modern but still keep the main parts intact. While I would never consider wearing my mother's dress, she is seriously thinking about wearing mine (or at least part of it).

It feels a bit surreal to realize that my daughter will be of age to marry in just a few years. It's even more surreal to see her put on a dress I wore almost 20 years ago. What makes it worse is to watch her do this while the failure of my marriage keeps replaying in the back of my mind.

What gives me hope however, is that she actually thinks my dress is beautiful - or that parts of it are - and she wants to revitalize it in some way to make it into her version of the perfect dress for beginning a new life with her future husband, whomever that may be. I can't help but get a message of symbolism from that. Just like the dress, there were parts of my marriage that were beautiful but there are also parts that just no longer work. Does that mean the dress/marriage should be thrown away? Some would say yes - throw it out and start anew. But me - being the non-sentimental person that I am - ironically says the opposite. The beautiful parts are worth saving - whether that be in effort to make it more current or simply to hold onto as a precious memory of one of the best days of my life.

There were many things promised that day - and since then several promises broken. But there were also priceless memories and 2 wonderful children that came from that union. As for the dress - I'm not sure what new creation the taylor will come up with but I'm so glad that at least part of it is still cherished and not only by me. Maybe the style of the dress did not stand the test of time, but the value is still there and I, for one, will treasure it with all my heart.