Cinderella in the jeep.

This afternoon was my final appearance as mother of a teenager going to the prom. The last count was five...and this one was just as special. The weather was threatening storms, tornado's, hail..well you get the picture. Her date arrived just in time for the bottom of the skies to drop out and we made a few quick pictures in the house then headed to the event center..the back-up place for pictures for the seniors. It was so wonderful to see all the beautiful girls dressed to the tens. The guys looking sharp in their tux. All the parents snapping pictures as fast as the digital cameras would allow. Pictures in groups...couples...singles...formal...goofy...simply a fun time watching all these teenagers in their final moments of their senior year. We got my daughter's dress at a store off the beaten path in Murfreesboro, had we not had a friend who had been there we wouldn't have found the store. Small. Unassuming. Tucked away. We scanned the small store. She tried on two dresses and no luck...but one of the mom's with us noticed a pink, short dress hanging from the ceiling. She asked to get it down and it quickly headed to the dressing room for a try on. Pale pink. Bubble gum colored. Short. Layers of fluffy tule. Heavy embroidered roses in dark fuchsia at the top. Sweetheart neckline. You get the idea. Well, when she put it on it was perfect...PERFECT. All her girlfriends agreed. The dress was for her. A quick purchase and off to home. That was in early March. She ordered shoes. Found antique earrings on line that were perfect. A loose do hairdo was decided on. As I wandered among the crowd of people I realized her look had been achieved. She always has such a different way of seeing things or should I say outfits. The moment had to come to say goodbye as the group was loading onto the party bus...my daughter turned to give me a kiss and say she loved me...and suddenly it dropped my heart to my toes. As her head of messy loose do hair with pink bubblegum fluffy dress turned to walk away...I saw my three year old daughter in her favorite Cinderella dress my sister bought for her. She wore the dress until it wouldn't go up her arms. I could see her wild hair flying in the battery operated jeep commando driven by my son as he kept moving the pink toile out of his face to see the way to go. Her bare feet propped on the dash...squeeling...laughing...asking to go faster...with her brother taking the curves on two wheels. I wasn't ready for the lump in my throat or the stinging in my eyes. She stopped to give me one more look and I knew....many things have changed...life hasn't been easy...things have hurt along the way...but nothing can change the memories of a pink dress in a commando jeep...I was just reminded.