It’s Never Too Late to Choose Love

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

The other day I scrubbed and scrubbed my refrigerator on the B&B side with at least three different anti-rust solutions…to no avail… the fridge door was squeaky clean but still rusty. So I ordered another stick-on poster by Katie Daisy and now the whole refrigerator door is covered with beautiful posters. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. 🙂

Besides…I love being surrounded by love. You might remember I ordered a LOVE wooden piece of art decor from Kelly Rae Roberts for my wood stove and every night while watching television or reading I glance at the word and just feel warm. We should always remind ourselves that love is the most powerful force on earth…and something that is always worth waiting for…no matter how long the wait.

I absolutely love this true love story of 97-year-old woman (Helen Danis) who had never gone to her prom because it was during the Great Depression, her father had lost his job at the mill, and her stepmother didn’t make enough coins to buy lipstick… much less a prom dress for her.

So now her 48 year-old granddaughter, Julie Huddon, who had heard the story several times decided it was time for her beloved ‘granny’ to get her Cinderella night out at the prom. She talked to her son who was a senior, Evans…(who suffers from spinal bifida and was planning on attending with friends in his motorized wheelchair.) He, whole-heartedly agreed to the idea.

Julie Huddon, 48, from Warwick, Rhode Island, had always wanted to learn more about her grandmother’s life. “She’s had a tough life with a lot of memories that aren’t so happy,” she told NBC News.

When Huddon realized that her grandmother had never done basic childhood activities like attend prom or sit on Santa’s lap, she decided to help make a “bucket list” of things she would help her grandmother do. It was now spring…and time for the prom.

After checking with school principal, Gerald Habershaw, to make sure Danis could attend, Huddon went over to her house to ask her if she’d like to attend the prom.

“I went over with a crown, made a prom note, and asked her if she would go to the prom with me,” Huddon said. “She was all excited.”

Her next step was to get her grandmother a dress. “I was shopping online and I saw this dress and thought ‘this is my grandmother, it’s screaming her name,’” Huddon explained.

She bought the dress and brought it to her grandmother, who loved it. “I tried it on, it was beautiful. It was the first time I tried the dress on and it fit without altering it…it was meant to be!” Danis told NBC News.

On prom night the two got ready at Huddon’s house, where she gave her grandmother a corsage and the two, along with Evans and his friends, rode a trolley to the prom.

“I was just so happy to see her so happy, she had a smile that didn’t leave her face,” Huddon said.

Evans swirled around his granny in his wheelchair while other senior boys broke in to dance with Evans’ grandmother.

The principal had chosen the time- appropriate song “Hully Gully” to have the first dance with the “belle of the ball.” She was the dancing queen…doing the Cha Cha Slide!

Later in the evening Danis was even crowned honorary prom queen. “I was so proud,” Huddon recalled. “All the seniors were cheering for her and clapping, they ended up naming the principal honorary prom king and he danced with her.”

Danis had a great time at the prom. “Being so much different in age, and yet to be able to correspond together and make an evening of it, it was magical,” she said. “My favorite part was being there with all the kids, and having such a good time….I felt eighteen again!”

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So until tomorrow…“Dreams are the touchstones of our character“-Thoreau

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Morning Delights….Isn’t it strange how the gardenia plants are just now producing blooms…crazy but beautiful and wonderful aromas!

 

***Latest updates: I heard from Gin-g…all went well with the surgery Thursday…she spent one night in the hospital and is on pain meds and just trying to acclimate to these roller coaster first few days following surgery…but all in all relieved it is over.
The same goes for Brooke…she has done well but also had a lot of soreness and some tough nights….she is ready too for things to level out. Time is the great healer but waiting on it to pass after surgery can be trying too.
So let’s keep both Gin-g and Brooke in our continued hearts and prayers during this transitional period.

 

 

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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2 Responses to It’s Never Too Late to Choose Love

  1. bcparkison says:
    June 2, 2019 at 8:17 am

    Cute story about the prom date and it is really good to read that Gin-g and Brooke are coming along .Time heals when be behave and take care .

    Reply

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