Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Jacket: Forever 21, Skirt: Target, Yellow Top: Forever 21, Shoes, Target (wow...I spend a lot of time in Target and F21), Necklace: HandPicked (I think), Watch and Purse: Michael Kors (photos: Carrie Hawkins Foust)

Last night a few friends and I had a girls night out. We went to dinner and then to a play that was being performed at a beautiful local theater (a converted church, stained glass windows...very pretty). We went to see "Love, Loss, and What I Wore".  It was hilarious, beautifully written, poignant, touching, and it seemed that every other word hit home to at least one of us.  The stage was simple. It had a purple screen backdrop and the 5 actresses sat on tall stools and read their monologues. Sometimes they read together, sometimes as individuals. They recounted life stories of women and girls and how the clothes that they wore defined, reminded them, or ignited memories of specific times in their lives. My description is not doing it justice, but trust me....it was incredible. Before going to see it I Googled it (of course) and found out that it was written by (and starred) Loretta Swit. Her name may not ring a bell, but she is best known for her role as  the (main) female doctor, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H. If you are unfamiliar with that show, it was a long time running television series that followed Army doctors in South Korea during the Korean War. It stopped running in 1983 (when I was 3 years old) but it ran for a loooong time after (and you can still catch it once in a while) in syndication. As soon as I found out that the play I was about to see was written by and starred, "Hot Lips" from M*A*S*H I immediately stopped what I was doing and was consumed by thoughts/memories of my Grandpa Hess. My Grandpa Hess' real name was Walter, but everyone called him "Zip". He was 6'6, about 275lbs, and to me, he was larger than life. Literally and figuratively. My grandpa was always busy doing something, but he stopped every day to eat dinner at the table when my Grandma Hess called him and then immediately went to "his" recliner to watch M*A*S*H. I used to climb on top of my grandpa, sitting on his lap, shoulder, or in my favorite place, balancing on the arm of his chair with my head lying on his chest. I sat perfectly still as we watched M*A*S*H. I didn't appreciate the show at the time, but I really loved my Grandpa and that was the only time he sat still, so I sat still too. Thoughts of my Grandpa usually make me sad. He passed away when I was 10, but I am tearing up as I recollect these memories almost 22 years later. For some reason when I think of my Grandpa passing, one memory stands out to me, and ironically enough it ties right into the theme of the play. I think of...you guessed it...what I wore. To his funeral that is. I remember it because I loved the outfit. It was a pair of parachute pants (dressy ones) and a matching top (hey...it was 1990). It was light blue and maroon and had a floral pattern. It was the nicest outfit I owned, so my mom put me in it for Grandpa's funeral. I hated that outfit after that day. I don't think I ever wore it again. It became "the outfit I wore to Grandpa Hess' funeral".  It's funny how that memory all tied into the play. I guess the title "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" was more relevant than I thought.