Little Pink Treasure

I stumbled upon this little pink treasure as we were going through boxes today. It’s the first dress I ever made for my Courtney. She wore it for my brother Joe’s wedding when she was five weeks old.

I was so proud of this dress. The circle yoke and Peter Pan collar along with the matching bonnet. It’s was the most sophisticated garment I had ever sewed up to that point.

The day after the wedding, Court was rushed to the hospital after suffering several grand mal seizures during her Baptism and ended up spending seven days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

It was the day everything changed for our family. .As I held that tiny dress in my hands today, I thanked God for the gift of my sweet daughter. I also said a prayer of gratitude for my MIL Eleanor who shared her love of sewing with me. I learned so much from her over the years.

The gift of memories can either weigh us down or lift our hearts to the heavens. We get to chose which way the grief will take us. Today I choose JOY. I choose to remember how sweet Courtney looked in her bonnet and how wonderful she felt in my arms that day. I get to smile at the photo and relive that sweet moment in my mind.

Maybe one day God will grant me the gift of a granddaughter to wear this little ensemble. Until then, I’ll just hang on to the memory.