It’s hard to believe that I’m nearly 99. Sweet Julia Bencelic Zivko bought the material to sew me when she lived in Dubrovnik, Croatia. And when she made it to the U.S., she pieced me together.
Not that I’m boasting, but I know that I’m beautiful. My slip and gown, adorned with a delicate lace collar, is as showy white as it was when Julia’s little girl wore it the first time, in September 1915 in Cleveland.
There was a war going on then, but I didn’t know it. My job was to envelop the baby during a baptism in which her parents promised to raise her in a home filled with God’s love.
Thank goodness Julia’s namesake promised a long time ago to take care of me. She laundered me by hand with Ivory flakes and distilled water, wrapped me in unbleached muslin and tucked me inside an acid-free parchment dress box that she kept safe in the attic. And every time a baby was born, I got to see the world again.
If it were a girl, Julia Bencelic Sadar, who married a fella by the name of Frank Sadar, wove pink ribbons on my gown and slip. If it were a boy, I wore blue.
Before she died in 2008, the 92-year-old wrote a note and tucked it in the box with me.
“The gown is a significant part of the baptism because it is a symbol of the new life of grace … there are a lot of special memories associated with this gown. Hopefully it will get passed on for another 100 years,” she said.
“God bless my Dearest Mama for her treasure she gave to all of us.”
On Sunday I will be wearing blue during my 18th appearance at a family baptism. Two-month-old Mason James Scarbrough will be christened inside Akron’s St. Sebastian’s Church, where his grandparents, Ted and Sandy Sadar, are parishioners.
Mason’s grandma and mommy, Jen Scarbrough, will gently dress the little guy they call God’s gift to the family because they waited so long for him to arrive.
And just like every other time, the adults will rush to remove me when the ceremony ends so that there are no “accidents.” In 1977, something natural happened, leaving a stain. Boy, did I get a scrubbing.
I’m certainly happy that people cared for me. They didn’t leave me to yellow in the attic with the old wringer washer and dust bunnies.
Sandy and Jen, who is a speech pathologist for the Stow-Monroe Falls School System, have teased Mason’s father, Brent, about the baby boy wearing a dress on Sunday.
I know that the Akron Fire medic isn’t crazy about Mason wearing me, but Prince George, who lives across the pond, wore what was probably a long-lost cousin of mine a few months ago. At least that’s my story.
You see, Brent is a dude with a lot of muscles and more than a few pretty cool tattoos. So he teases the women in his life that his son should wear a onesie decorated with tattoos beneath me. I’m certain God doesn’t care. And as long as they keep me clean, cool and lookin’ good for generations to come, I’m OK with that too.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com. Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kim.honemcmahan.