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C. Jane Reid's avatar

Wow! What a powerful post. The felt and embroidery design of the jacket is gorgeous too. I had my grandpa's army dress coat for the longest time but gave it to my cousins this past summer. All that side of my family lives in Michigan and it felt selfish keeping it from them. I'm sad I no longer have it but I'm glad I could share it with family.

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Laura K Bray's avatar

The coat my grandfather was wearing in the photo wasn't the coat I had, I have is dress coat. I think my mother has some photos of him in his dress uniform but I don't.

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alice-ann hoefkens's avatar

The fabric of memory woven into the cloth of your life and capturing the many separate threads of war, youth, love, relationship, past, present, future. Touching our hearts, prompting our memories - my mother’s skin lotion, pale pink and from Kanebo, the frosted bottle still holding the smell of her cheek 36 years after her last goodbye. A beautiful start to my Saturday, a joy to read. Thank you.♥️ I love the jacket and all it represents.

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Laura K Bray's avatar

Your comment is so beautifully written-thank you! I can almost smell your mother's skin lotion.

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Sue's avatar

What a lovely post. And the artwork with the jacket is perfect. You totally took me back to high school dances. Angst and too much perfume. Thanks for sharing this with us.

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Laura K Bray's avatar

So. Much. Perfume. Thanks for always being so supportive of my writing.

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Lisa Dearen's avatar

Your writing encouraged me to search the closet of my mind (love that phrase!) for the perfume I wore in HS. I found it! CALYX by Prescriptives, although it looks like Clinique took it over at some point. What a lovely post.

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Laura K Bray's avatar

My dad used to travel to Europe a lot when I was a teenager and he would bring my sisters and I back mini-bottles of expensive perfumes that he bought in the duty-free shops so we had a huge collection of scents but eventually I moved to one signature scent, Knowing (Estee Lauder) that I still wear. I've had people stop me in the store to ask what I'm wearing so it must be good with my personal chemistry. My husband worries it will go out of production.

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Nicole MacPherson's avatar

THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I would have 100% worn my grandfather's army jacket in high school too, if I had such a thing. As it was, my grandfather was a farmer and hence was not in the army. How fascinating your grandpa was in Italy, and at such a young age.

Also, love the craft piece embroidery alongside the photo.

The descriptions in this! I am so taken back in time. Drakkar Noir! Depeche Mode (I still love Depeche Mode!). Young love. Ahhhhhh. This was so great to read, Laura!

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Laura K Bray's avatar

I still love Depeche Mode too! I think we would have been BFFs in high school (and possibly gotten in some trouble together, so maybe it's best we only get in trouble together now. LOL!)

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Kaarin Marx Smith's avatar

Gorgeous post. I like to think your grandfather was protecting you when you wore it in highschool....certainly protecting all of us when he wore it in the Po Valley.

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Laura K Bray's avatar

Thanks Kaarin. My grandfather was one of my favorite people in the world and I love remembering my stories about him.

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