Red's Shoe Diaries: An Easter Rose from Grandma B

Grandma Betty would have loved this floral brocade coat dress from Byron Lars. It's my favorite piece from his Fall/Winter 2015 collection.

This is my family's first Easter without our beloved Grandma Betty. We lost her at Christmas after one final holiday next to her husband of 65 years and surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She lived a full and genuine life, and I'm grateful she'll spend this Easter in Heaven without the ever present physical pain that plagued her for so long. Yet, I know I'll feel her absence at the dinner table today, and perhaps more during our after dinner euchre games (though perhaps I'll finally have a chance to win - the woman was nothing if not a card player...)

Coat Dress (Byron Lars, Enza's Boutique); Purse (Charming Charlie); Boots (J.Lo, an eBay find)

Though she's no longer with us physically, I know that Grandma B remains with me in spirit. In fact, just a few days ago she gave me one last Easter rose. It came in the midst of a no good, very bad, if someone looks at me cross-eyed I'll cry kind of day. You know the ones. In any event, I was cleaning out a desk drawer, mindlessly clearing out physical clutter as a surrogate for the clutter in my mind: expired credit cards; highlighters that no longer highlight; inspiration pages torn from magazines that no longer inspired; more paperclips than any rational person can use in a lifetime; and a single white envelope addressed to me that I didn't recognize. I opened it to find an Easter card and a small white handkerchief embroidered with a rose. It was from Grandma Betty.

Necklace (The Secret Ingredient); I embellished the ivory booties with brooches from Premier Designs (thanks to my friend and Premier Designs jewelry rep Sherrell Bundy Smith!)

I had completely forgotten about it, and cannot imagine how it ever found its way into that particular desk drawer. Inside, she'd written a letter that covered nearly all of the white space. Though dated 2011, Grandma Betty's words were exactly what I needed to hear right that very moment. She always did know just what to say, and just when to say it. Apparently she knew I needed her that day, and there she was with her own brand of unconditional love and even a hankie to dry my tears. An Easter blessing, indeed.