Mother’s Day Model…..at 95!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and I lovingly recall one of the more memorable traditions that we shared with the mothers and daughters in a community in northern Florida.

For five years, the Community Lifestyle Director, Sarah, and I planned a traditional tea along with a non-traditional fashion show on the Friday afternoon before Mother’s Day.  We hosted a high tea with scrumptious crumpets and scones and a fashion show featuring our residents. We sent out hand written invitations and dressed the dining room to resemble an elegant English tea parlor. We patterned a runway around and between the dining tables, and I acted as the commentator, always prepared to eloquently describe each unique outfit a resident was wearing.

At that time, I moonlighted at Casual Corner Women’s Fashions, so each year the store generously volunteered to provide the clothes. Sarah recruited the six ladies, 

(Walkers, canes and scooters acceptable) who were willing to parade through the large dining room and proudly display the donated items. 

The week before the event, Sarah and I accompanied our “models” to the store located at the nearby mall.    She and I swooped through the racks of woman’s clothes, carefully choosing fashions that would suit the various tastes of our illustrious crew. The dressing rooms were chaotic as the ladies tried on the dresses, pants, skirts and blouses that appealed to them.  It took at least a couple of hours to find the perfect fit with the perfect appeal, but eventually, each of our residents left the store content that they would look and feel “stunning.”

 Marion was a small quiet woman who modeled for us for each of the five years.   She was 90 years old at the first show, and she was 95 for the last.  She appeared frail, but she wasn’t.  She had been decorated for her courage and strength during her career as a nurse in the U.S. Army.

During those five years, Marion headlined our fashion show.  The clothes she modeled were simple, not fussy; she carefully chose them to fit her frail thin frame. She walked slowly, taking each step cautiously and deliberately.   She possessed a contagious “can do” attitude when making eye contact with the audience.   Everyone applauded her gumption as she circled through the crowd. She was the oldest model in every show.

“You are my inspiration,” I would tease her.  “I want to be just like you – a stunning 90 year old model.”  The next year I repeated,  “ a stunning 91 year old model,” and so on until I left the community convinced that my goal had been set at 95.

Recently, Marion celebrated her 100^th Birthday.  I doubt that she is modeling, anymore, but I haven’t changed my mind.  I still aspire to follow in her footsteps.  At 95 I want to be a “stunning 95 year old model” just like Marion.