red plaid taffeta...

on the bolt

it was just

plaid taffeta...

.

 

red and black taffeta

i'd bought it not sure

what i'd make

then i turned it into

 the bottom

half of a dress for my

sweet sarah

a bow tie

for her handsome brother

even a skirt for me

 

 

on

a sunday afternoon

the 19th of december

my family of four

walked into

the state theater

for a live performance

of the nutcracker

a plain dealer photographer

captured this pose

and soon that red plaid taffeta

became the symbolism

for christmas

nineteen ninety two

i cherish the memories

so very thankful

our girl was

healthy that day

so grateful we

spent the time

together

purple profile...

years ago

even before this

next photo...

. 

was taken

a friend gave me a card

that reads...

you are a purple person if:

you are imaginative,

sensitive, artistic and

sophisticated

you have noble ideals

 and a keen appreciation

of the cultural

you are alert, demanding,

 foresighted, confident

resourceful,

spontaneous and highly independent

you take delight in the beautiful,

the gracious, the sensitive,

but maintain an attitude of

critical appraisal

you are active in the support

of things you believe in

and are concerned

with the pursuit of truth

 and other human values

you take chances

 and believe that you must do so

 to make the most of what

 life has to offer

purple is an exclusive

 unique color

and it is truly a unique individual

who holds it dear

twenty years ago today

as i bared my shoulders

 for the world to see

i did not see as much

of myself

in that message

as i do today

smokin' hot...

flipped the page

in the

photo album...

.

...the one from twenty years ago

and found this

at first i was just going

 to pass it by

then my honey came down

and told me

 i looked smokin' hot

it was the reference

to fire

 that made me

decide to scan it

just in case

i never want to forget

that yes

there was a day

when i'd show my legs

i also remember

finishing this outfit

on the way to the event

as john drove

i sewed

typical of our life

back then

wouldn't change a thing

though

would you like a pony too...

when tj asked

to be a cowboy

for halloween...

.

...i asked if he'd like

a pony too

turned out to be the

most winning costume

ever

by all who wore it

over the years

today it turns up

twenty years later

a perfect visual

for what's about to happen

as the lone ranger rides

into the sunset

out there

on his own

not exactly

atop hi ho silver

rather

 inside a red taurus

either way

he's holding the reins

in total control

so proud of you son

the gifts in life...

as if

perfectly

on cue...

. 

i turned the page

of the photo album

from twenty years ago today

and this picture is what

i found

 a tiny tj

just three and one half years old

in my office

as the regional director

for united way

i had multiple offices

this is the one in geauga county

i'd often have a few tasks

needing completed

on a saturday

especially if i had taken

time off during the week

to tend to sarah's medical needs

i almost always

 took tj with me

it gave him a break from being with

his medically fragile sister

and he was such a good boy

he would sit

very patiently

playing with the calculator

for hours if need be

he loved punching in numbers

and then seeing the machine

tape continue to spew

out until it reached

great lengths

then he would take

a red pen

 and circle all the numbers

i had forgotten about those days

i suppose he was

destined to be a finance major

in college

all the way back then

which makes finding these photos

so perfectly timed...

...today

 i handed over

 the financial reins

of our company

american medical computing inc

to this boy

all grown up now

i'm confident he will do

 an excellent job

take it to the next level

and beyond

and that my friends

will allow me to spend

more time creating

in the house of fabric

like those

chairs behind us

the minute the man

who had this job before me

 moved out

i took them home for a weekend

and reupholstered them

with the fabric you see

gave the office

a twinkle of sunshine

tj i love you son

you've worked hard

you've earned the title

of cfo

dad and i are so proud

and honored to have you

in our family

ribbons and bows...

nothing

brings a smile

to my face

.

like pictures of my girl

twenty years ago today

wearing

hand me down overalls

from her brother

now adorned

with embellishments

of ribbons and bows