A SPECIAL GIFT ALL THE WAY FROM CHINA

GRANDMA DIANNE

I was the baby of my family, and had four older (much older) brothers, and two older sisters. Gene was second oldest in the family and had joined the Navy when he was about 19 (about the time I was born). He was this person that we heard about, but seldom saw and hardly knew. However, in his world travels as a Navy man, our family was the recipient of special gifts from exotic places in the world.

That is how I came to own a pair of white silk pajamas from China. I must have received them when I was about 7 years old, because when I turned 8 and was going to be baptized, it was decided that I would wear them to be baptized in. I really don’t remember wearing them any other time, and after the baptism, my mother put them away and they eventually ended up in my cedar chest, (again, a gift from my brother Gene).

I knew they were there, but really never gave them another thought. They would have been perfect for my own girls to be baptized in. It never occurred to me when my older granddaughters were being baptized either. But when it was time for Kelsey to be baptized, I remembered those pajamas, brought them out, did a little mending and asked Krista if she would be interested in Kelsey being baptized in them. She was and I was so pleased to see Kelsey wearing those special pajamas when she was baptized. Coray mentioned to everyone that Kelsey was wearing the same outfit that her Grandma had worn many years ago.

Next, it was Anna’s turn to be baptized. It was sort of a given that she would also wear the Chinese pajamas. She looked so cute in them, and the bishop made a special note to those in attendance at her baptism, that Anna was wearing the same outfit that her Grandmother had worn almost 70 years ago. Again, it made me very happy to see this happening.

Next, when it was Paige’s turn to be baptized, she visited in the summer and announced that she did not want to be baptized in those pajamas. She had heard from someone that they had palm trees on them and that did not sound like a good thing to her. We assured her that she did not have to wear them, but just take a look and then decide. When she saw that they were plain white, and the palm trees did not stand out, she decided that she too would wear them to be baptized in. I was so happy she made that decision. She looked darling in them, just as Kelsey and Anna had.

The next year, Sarah was 8 and ready to be baptized. I took the pajamas with me to Baltimore and just assumed that Sarah would wear them as she was baptized. The bishop, not the same as when Anna was baptized, made special mention that Sarah was wearing the same outfit that her Grandma had worn 70 years ago when she was baptized. It made me very happy to witness again one of my granddaughters wearing those special Chinese pajamas that I received as a gift from my older brother, Gene, so many years ago.