All dolled up for Easter

Irene, Jennie, Brook, David and Dad

In our day we were all always expected to dress up for church on Sundays.  Easter was always different.  Extra polish and pomp was in order for this day.  The Finlayson kids were supposed to get dressed up even more.  I remember the Easter shoes I had to wear.  They were white and I'd have to dab more flat white shoe polish on them to hide the scuff marks.  The white polish would turn each shoe into a big piece of chalk.   They never stayed white for long.  The little boy that I used to be could scuff up shoes in a matter of seconds.  Those Sunday shoes sure were uncomfortable.  I realize now the theological implications of having those shoes.  It was apparently better to look good for Sunday rather than your sole to be truly at peace.

I never liked wearing dress-up shoes to church.  Our church had carpet and if you drug your feet just a little, you'd get zapped good from static electricity.  For a United Methodist Church - there was a lot of electricity in that place.  It could've easily been a Pentecostal church with all the zapping power there.   I'd never been in a church since that had that much static power.  I was always accidently zapping myself because of Sunday shoes.  The upside of it was, you could zap a pal who wasn't expecting it.  Beware though, if you start a zap war, you're going to get paid back for the prank.  Children at that age have not learned to turn the other cheek.  Zap your neighbor and thou shalt be ZAPPED!

The boys usually wore white suits for Easter.  The spring sun shinning down reflected off the lily white fabric made us look like snow white angels.  The lens that captured the moment seemed to actually make us glow a little in the sunlight.  That image carries well in a photograph, but it was nothing like real life.  In real life, I liked getting grubby and dirty.  I couldn't wait to get down on my knees in a ditch.  The egg hunt on the grounds after church would ensure that I wasn't coming home lily white.  I'd bring home grass stains on knees, elbows and pants bottom.

My sisters wore frilly white dresses, white hose, usually with a little white purse and usually donned in a little Easter bonnet.  On Easter little girls were to look like little lacy dainty Victorian dolls.  Don't let the cute fool you.  If you attempt to zap a sister at church, she'd clobber you with her little lily white Easter purse.

My sister Irene.