Posted by Danny

On Tuesday, I took Stephanie and Michelle over to Theater in the Park for their costume fitting.  The head costume designer is a wonderfully talented woman who has been working with A Christmas Carol for years.  She is warm and friendly and you can just tell how much she cares about the folks she works with.

The girls tried on their outfits, Michelle really loved her skirt with the bloomers that show underneath.  When they were putting their regular clothes back on, the designer pulled me aside and pulled out a small square of material.  There was a tiny clothes pin at the top.  As she put it in my hand, I noticed a familiar name hand written in ink;  it was my wife’s.

My eyes welled up. 

“I found this tag pinned in a dress I was working on this week and thought you’d want it.  It was on the collar of the one on the end of the rack.”  She pointed me toward an outfit that I’d seen before.  On our bookshelf is a picture of Jesse and Lisa in full Dicken’s regalia at the 2007 Raleigh Christmas Parade.  And on Lisa, that dress.

When I got home, I immediately attached the tag to the cardboard frame that held this important photograph.

It’s interesting that it’s been five years since Lisawas in the play, and yet it was just last week that the tag was discovered. 

Sometimes it feels like she’s sending messages – all can be explained, possibly just coincidence, but they are comforting nonetheless.

Maybe she’s proud of us.  Maybe she’s happy that we’re following in her footsteps.  Maybe she wants us to know she approves.