She was found, on the side of the road;
a tag sale discard. As soon as I saw her laying on top of a box of
books, I saw her beauty. On the way home, I thought “Uh Oh....was
she really worth picking up”? Her hair is crumpled, her dress is
torn, there are big holes in her veil. And yet, for some unknown
reason, I still thought she was beautiful.
Once home, I shared my new treasure
with the family explaining “I know she's not in good condition, but
for some reason I really like her”. Thank goodness they know who I
really am, and they have come to understand and accept (and sometimes
see the beauty) in the eclectic treasures I find. Sadly, she was put
on a table and left laying there for a few weeks. Every time I
caught a glimpse of her, I thought “What am I going to do with
her”? “Why did I pick her up”? I thought maybe I could use
her as a decoration for Angie's Bridal Shower, but then wondered what
people would think about the disarray she was in. Yet, I was still
drawn to her. Eventually she made it up the two flights of stairs to
our “attic suite”, and stood on a chair by the window, for
another few weeks.
Today, I sat in the chair by the
window, put “her” on the side table and looked out the window. I
was thankful for the beautiful summer day we were blessed with.
Mindfully in this beautiful moment, I turned and saw “her”; I
picked her up. Her dress was buttoned crookedly, there are gaping
holes in her veil, the lace trim is coming apart on the sleeves, the
“under netting” of the dress is safety pinned in the back to hold
it up, the necklace she is wearing is definitely not original or
wedding appropriate, her hair is crumpled.
Then, mindfully, I examined
“her” a little more closely. “Her” eyes are a beautiful,
sparkling blue; her lipstick and rouge are stately, but subtle.
“Her” earrings dangle delicately beneath her lobes. I hold “her”
wedding gown out to the side, as if playing and imagining me in this
gown. Then I realized what “her” beauty is and why I have been
so drawn to “her”, why “she” “spoke” to me. A smile came
to my lips.
Once upon a time, a little
girl held this Bride in her tiny little hands and imagined herself in
this gown. “She” was played with apparently a lot, as shown by
her condition. I turned her over, fixed her buttons, and saw where
the button holes were torn a bit. Again, I smiled because I thought
of a little girl unbuttoning and buttoning this dress many times over
as she dreamed of her own wedding day. I started to realize why I
saw “Her” as beautiful. While writing this story, she lies here
beside me, and I wondered what I would have named her when I was
little; June came to my mind immediately (funny thing, Angie's
wedding is in June!). Here is June, a well-loved Bride (doll) who's
beauty shines from love.
