We had over 100 ladies ranging in age from 22 to 96 gather for a fun evening of reminiscing over the decades of our lives and sharing a delicious meal. All the ladies sat at tables specified for their birth decade. For instance, I sat at one of four tables for ladies born in the 1960s. Our four tables were decorated with tie-dyed fabric and one of the icons from the 60s, the bright yellow smiley face. We were given the option of dressing in the fashions of our decade and several of the ladies born in the 60s wore peasant blouses, love beads, mod pants, head bands, and go-go boots. We were a scream!
We had designated tables for ladies born in each decade from 1910 to 1980. The earlier decade tables were mostly decorated with antiques and photos, wartime memorabilia, and pretty laces. The 50s donned an old-fashioned record player, LPs, and a hilarious beehive wig. The 70s tables displayed album covers from that decade and lava lamps. And the 80s centerpieces were collections of McDonald's Happy Meal toys and other bright colored memorabilia from that decade.
The "costumes" were lively and hilarious. Many did an excellent job of typifying the colors, hairstyles, shoes, and accessories of their decade. The funny thing is, many of the "costumes" were actually retro clothing that is fashionable even today!
We had a delicious pasta meal prepared by our youth minister, Dennis Houston, and his crew. We topped it off with a variety of cheesecakes. After dinner we took a stroll down memory lane with trivia questions from each decade and decade-appropriate prizes for the best costumes from each time period. Then came the highlight of the night.
Several of our oldest ladies had agreed to be interviewed about how God had been faithful to them through the decades of their lives. One hundred ladies listened with awe and appreciation as beautiful women in their 80s and 90s told of how God had walked them through victories and losses in their lives. They were absolutely splendid. What a testimony for the younger women in our church! We so rarely slow down long enough to hear anyone else's story, much less the stories of those who are decades older than us. We may even begin to think that what they have to say would be irrelevant to us. Shame on us. These lovely ladies have so much to offer.
The thing about this particular event is, besides be beautifully decorated and fun, it provided our women an opportunity to "get together" like never before. While we sat, ate, and visited mostly with women our own ages, we gained an appreciation for the women older and younger than ourselves. We saw them grouped in their distinct generations, remembered the world as it was when they were born, and walked away feeling a little more connected because, after all, we're all women. When you consider the world the women of the 10s and 20s were born into and the decades they have traveled through as they grew up, married, and raised their families, and then compare that life to the lives led by our ladies born in the 80s, you appreciate the different vantage points from which we assess life. You see that each generation would only logically have different perspectives, dreams, and, yes, hang-ups. But you also see that each generation is valuable, strong, beautiful and important to the next generations. We all have a story, shaded by our generation and the world as we have known it, but unique to us individually.
Enough of my pontificating! I want you to see how fun this event was! Enjoy the pics and let me know what you think. I'm including a few here and a slide show over to the right. If you're interested in hosting an event like this, let me know and I can provide more details.
Me in my retro 60s coat I bought at Dillards just last week for my birthday.
Stephanie interviews Vi and Evelyn, two of our oldest ladies. They were a hoot!
Girls of the 80s.
Stephanie (70s), Me (60s) & Dawn (70s)
Abby was born in the 90s but digs the 70s.
Amira decorated the 60s tables.
Jessica is a child of the 80s.
Katie sports the beehive wig that served as a centerpiece for a 50s table.
1 comment:
Katie WOULD wear the beehive! Looks like a fun function and I would have loved to be there.
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