Bunnies And Bonnets
I never completely understood the connection between Spring, Christianity, baby animals as gifts (who like as not were dead by June - what does a child do with a grown-up chicken? Why ignore it to death, of course), plastic eggs, colored eggs, chocolate eggs and bouffant, springy (ha) dresses. Really, a celebration of nature's rebirth, of the sun working into the evening seems to me more like a pagan's sigh of relief.
Anyway, there was a time when it all made sense. When I was two years old, Springtime, soft bunnies, hard dresses, chocolates and church all merged together on Easter:
Candies are not in evidence in this picture because I can safely say that I had already eaten them.
This was also the first day when I would be taken to church. My godmother made me a dress the color of a melted lemon drop, a liquid pastel; with skirts of organdy and a satin sash with a witty flower at its center. This was a special occasion, and I was wearing my Very Best Dress.
However. That morning I howled, I screamed, I cried - so stridently, so purely, so exquisitely, that my parents could do nothing else but haul me - poke bonnet and all - back home.
Comments
And LOL at babeh Aubrey logic --
CANDY BUNNIES BASKETS: WANT!
CHURCH: DO NOT WANT!!!
Aubrey, everything you do is exquisite, I'm not surprised your tantrums were the same.
That's a lovely photo of you and your dad.
Should we not all worship you as our Goddess? :D
I remember Easter dresses too - I may have even liked mine :/ I also remember being dragged into the twice annual hypocrisy of 'Church'. All the chocolate in the world can't mask that bad taste!
I celebrate your tantrums and I celebrate chocolate!
You were such a cutie. I can't help but wonder what upset you so much that your parents had to leave.
I love this story Aubrey, both subject and writing. I like it that you had to be hauled out of church in your finery. In our dresses, I remember my "unlady like behavior" seemed to be more horrifying to the adults than when I wore jeans. As if ribbons and bows made us docile.
That is a fine photo of you and your father. I like the words "sun working into the evening." If you expanded this some, you could publish it as creative nonfiction.
Lucy, who had a coat worn only at Easter of yellow wool and a yellow flower comb for her hair, which her mother tortured into curlers Good Friday. The curlers had to be worn all Saturday or else Jesus would be wroth with me. :)
I also wanted to add that you were a gorgeous child.
Lucy
Very elegant.
The dress must have been desparately uncomfortable - a poor exchange for the chocolate eggs and stuffed bunnies left at home. The young Aubrey had not focused on her ecclesiastical beliefs yet, but I do remember the kneeling and rising and what was that about?
DKN - clean-up on aisle nine!
Laurie - you should hear from my mother what my tantrums were like: apparently they were epic.
Lauri - I've thought about it, and yes, worship may begin.
SweetM - what a lovely memory! Nature celebrating along with you!
LM - the angle makes me wonder who was taking the picture, and how.
Lucy - thankyouthankyou! Those words you were nice enough to admire came from a sentence that actually made me rather content. As for your poor hair - plenty of scope for those ribbons and bows, but OW!
Suga' - Diva-ism is a life-long project. Thank goodness I started early.
e2c - mother always cut my hair in that Dutch/Brooksie bob - happily prophetic.
What a beautiful pair of pictures, and a wonderful post. As always.
I'm sure I never wore any fancy dresses to church. I suppose they would have been lovely handmade togs by my mother, but nothing that frilly and 'high-end'.
As for crying in church, I wish more parents would take their little darlings out when they start acting up during service!