A Gift From Joanie
The story of a traveling dress: Left: text interchange and photos from Oct 2023 dress purchase and Right- me in dress with son, Zach (best man) and later with the wedding planner June 2024.
“That’s the dress from your Aunt Joan!”
This was the Facebook comment I enjoyed most after posting photos from a wedding I attended in Slovenia. It originated from a memory shared with my childhood best friend, Bev.
Last October, Bev and I enjoyed a girls' weekend in Las Vegas that included a concert, lots of laughs, and a little shopping. Reminiscing with my childhood friend played a big part in the constant feeling of going back in time. But having $60 of birthday money in my purse, earmarked for buying myself a gift, also made me giddy as a school girl that weekend.
I have long aged out of financially relying on others. Instead, I find myself as the giver rather than the receiver of gifts. When my sweet Aunt Joan sent me a birthday card with $60 cash and a note to buy something special for myself, my first reaction was to return it. Living in assisted living was not cheap lodging for Joan. Certainly, she needed the money more than I did. Resisting the temptation to figure out how to return the cash, I instead thanked her and tucked the money away in my purse.
My enthusiasm was real. True to her nature, Joan's card arrived two weeks after my birthday. The lateness of the gift allowed us to rehash the fun we had on my last trip back (also after my birthday). Our heartfelt text exchange on my later dress purchase with her gift money was one of our last. Joan passed away the following spring.
The dress flew back with me from Vegas to Durango. After wearing it once in Colorado, I loved it as much as when I first saw it on the hanger. I chose to wear it for the wedding in Slovenia, and I thought lovingly of Aunt Joan while wearing my treasured gift.
When my luggage was briefly lost on the flight home, I made a mental checklist of its potentially lost contents. Although my running shoes came to mind first, the thought of losing my twice-worn dress from Joan made me sad. Recalling Bev’s recent comment on Facebook, I remembered sending Joanie a photo of me with the dress last fall.
I searched for this interchange by scanning old texts. Finding them was another gift since I deleted Joan’s contact information from my phone. I snapped photos of the texts and saved them. If my dress were lost somewhere in Europe, I would still enjoy these photographed memories for years to come. The luggage and dress finally arrived safely home, but I also chose to keep the text memories.
Lessons learned in the process of getting over myself:
Accept the gift.
Buy the dress.
Share your gratitude.
Although Aunt Joan never got to see me wear it, she was right; it was the perfect dress for me - primarily because it was a special gift from her.
