A while back, Ms. Sam asked if I would be
interested in writing a Guest Post for her blog. Boy would I ever, what a
fun honor! But what could I write? I sew vintage looks and have a small
collection of vintage dresses; my husband has vintage too. We met through dancing years ago, and he and I still dance swing. We dance the Jitterbug, Lindy
hop, as well as a handful of other vintage dances like the Charleston and Collegiate Shag. But is that note-worthy? I suspect many of Ms. Sam's
readers can relate with these things.
I like to sew vintage, as dancing can be hard on vintage pieces, but for
special occasions it is important to bring out our finest 1940's
outfits. One such occasion happened on April 27th. We were invited by Tom and Debra with Gottaswing, to dance at a special family celebration. We later learned it was "Mume's" 95th
birthday celebration with her whole family, including great
grandchildren, gathered in the family's back garden.
At her party, her daughter explained that Mume had fallen at Christmas. While she was in the
hospital recovering from a broken hip, she was instructing her family on how to
swing dance from her hospital bed. Her granddaughter, pictured next
to her, promised that they would have swing dancing at her birthday
party, and they did. The weather was perfect that day and Mume's face
lit up as the music played. We danced while kids of all ages ran about.
Mume commented how she
remembered the 1940's styles similar to the rose and navy suit I wore. We
looked at pictures of a beautiful 20-something Mume, and we saw that
young spirit again as she danced to a bit of her favorite song, Glenn
Miller's "In the Mood."
She needed a walker and a nurse's aide to walk, but she had no trouble remembering the dance steps of her youth. A
week later, having celebrated with her family, Mume passed. My heart is
heavy for knowing her for just a day, but I was so happy to have helped
her family bring joy to her on that special day.
Sorry to leave you with such sad words. Dancing in vintage and creating
new "vintage" is a passion I love, and that I hope we can all have the opportunity of sharing in our own unique ways.
*Thank you so much for sharing, Mrs Deb! Such a touching story, and I know that I want to still have Mume's passion and joy of life when I am her age. I hope you enjoyed this, Dear Reader, and for a special treat, take a listen to Mume's favorite song...
Mrs. Deb...a lovely story and what a blessing to have shared in something Mume loved before she passed. I love the music, dances and clothes from this time period. My lovely mother-in-law loved the Glenn Miller band. She used to serenade me every now and then with music from the 40's and 50's. I remember her waltzing through the house singing "I Feel Pretty". It always made me smile! Thanks for sharing...Ms. Sam's moma
Ms Deb is a new friend that I met on through Facebook, and she is also in our Vintage Gals Make group. I'll make sure she sees your comment. And, yes, I remember Grandma singing that, and also, "If I'd a known you were coming I'da baked a cake" :)
I am sure that there was great joy that day! And I'm so glad you have enjoyed my first guest posts. Ms Deb seems such an interesting person that I just knew she would have something lovely to share with us. A big thank you to her for taking the time and care to create this for us!
Hey, sugar, I'd love to hear from you! If, for some odd reason, this won't let you comment, please send me a message at mssamwearsdresses@gmail.com. Thanks a ton!
Mrs. Deb...a lovely story and what a blessing to have shared in something Mume loved before she passed. I love the music, dances and clothes from this time period. My lovely mother-in-law loved the Glenn Miller band. She used to serenade me every now and then with music from the 40's and 50's. I remember her waltzing through the house singing "I Feel Pretty". It always made me smile! Thanks for sharing...Ms. Sam's moma
ReplyDeleteMs Deb is a new friend that I met on through Facebook, and she is also in our Vintage Gals Make group. I'll make sure she sees your comment. And, yes, I remember Grandma singing that, and also, "If I'd a known you were coming I'da baked a cake" :)
DeleteWhat a sweet gift you gave to this family Deb.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sam what a fun idea to do guest posts.
I am sure that there was great joy that day! And I'm so glad you have enjoyed my first guest posts. Ms Deb seems such an interesting person that I just knew she would have something lovely to share with us. A big thank you to her for taking the time and care to create this for us!
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