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My Idol... When I Was 6 I remember being 6 and studying photos of the Kennedy family in Life and Look magazines. I idolized young Caroline. I wanted to live in her world, with her pony and sailboats.
I fantasized that I was Caroline and that my 2-year-old brother was John John. I often hoped that strangers were fooled, when they spotted my brother and me in the park or on the ferry. I even had a Caroline Kennedy doll. Happy Birthday Caroline Today is Caroline's birthday, which means we are both now 60 years old. I doubt she would care to join me with my celebration, which focusses on the fun of being 6.
Days later, our family of 6 drove late at night from Staten Island to D.C. where we slept in a parking lot. We crawled out early, in the frigid temps to join the crowds awaiting the procession. I strained to spot Caroline. My memories of what I saw in D.C., soon became tangled with the images I saw on TV and in magazines. However, my memory of the lingering sadness in our home remains vivid. I recall sitting in the apartment, slowly turning the pages of this very Life magazine, shown above. I absorbed every photo and studied Caroline's sad face. I couldn't imagine what had happened to her father. Best-Loved Poems Today I found a positive way to celebrate the young girl I once adored. I didn't reach for my old doll. I picked up a book of poems that I gave my mom, about 10 years ago.
The poems were selected by Caroline, because her mother had loved them. I felt just a little bit like I was enjoying the poems with my own mom. Years ago, Mom tagged her favorites. Finding her markers and reading the ones that had touched her, made my celebration all the sweeter.
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Kind of Like 1963 When I was little, we didn't have bargain shoe racks at Marshalls or DSW. We didn't have online discount shoe shopping options. We had shoe stores and every time I went, I put my little stockinged foot on the measuring device, because my foot was always growing
I don't think I've stepped on one of these things since I was a little kid. I asked Natasha at Dillard's if she could measure my foot. I tried to explain why I was "celebrating like a 6-year-old" and she laughed and went along with it, when I pulled out my little white bobby sock. Silly in the Store I haven't had so much fun shoe shopping since I bought stripped tennis shoes at age 6. This time I was shopping for shoes for my son's wedding. I brought along my friends because I don't trust my fashion judgement.
We were there nearly 2 hours, not because it was an intensely important decision. We just lingered forever because we were having such a goofy-good time!Natasha cracked me up with her delightfully bossy opinions. I mean that in a good way. I need a lot of guidance. Pampered Lorrie and Shari were the best, because they know shoes and colors much better than me... and they make me laugh. I was a little bummed that my shoe shopping experience did not involve a "Cinderella-style" fitting with each shoe. I remember being a kid and putting my foot on the slanted stool, while the salesman grabbed the shoe horn to help slide the Mary Jane on my foot.
Natasha was fun and attentive, but she pretty much just handed me the boxes. However, Lorrie and Shari humored me. We look like we're playing shoe store. Post Wedding The shoes I ended up buying were pretty snazzy. I don't usually do sparkle shoes, but I went all out and that was fun.
The day after the wedding I had 5 Bandaids on my feet. Today, a week later I have scabs. But I'm happy to hobble. I had a blast with my shoe shopping celebration... AND I danced with my handsome son, wearing sparkly high heels!
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Sixty
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