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Truth & Reconciliation

9/30/2021

Today in Canada it's the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It's a new federal holiday created this past summer in response to the rediscovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the former Indian Residential Schools in different parts of the country.

Designating September 30th as the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is meant to honour the children who suffered in the residential school system, and to recognize the trauma survivors still experience. The hope is that on this day of reflection, wide attention might finally be given to the stories so long overlooked. It's about educating, and awareness, and about honouring indigenous children and their families, and their communities.

So I've gathered a collection of photos featuring children in traditional indigenous garb....

Many people think the residential schools existed a century ago, but the last one closed in 1996. So today we take time to reflect on the darker aspects of our country's history, in the hope of finally facing the truth, with hopes of moving forward to a reconciliation, and an end to racism.

The children are our future, and it begins with them...

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A Choice

9/30/2021

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"You have wings!!"

"How wonderful!"

"They are beautiful!"

It was definitely not the reaction Baron had expected....

"I love it here, but it's just that I can't help but think of my business associates. I'm sure they'll be worried that I disappeared so suddenly."

"Well, I can send you back if you like..."

Baron took Naomi's hand....

"I love you...."

"....and would like you to stay..."

"....but the choice has to be yours."

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Another Surprise

9/29/2021

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"So...here you both are now. What are your plans?"

"Well.....it's been a wonderfully interesting day...."

"But I keep thinking about my two friends..."

"...and how I didn't show up for work today. Without a word."

"I disappeared into thin air. Literally. Without a word of explanation."

"Well....I can send you back....."

"I can send you back to before you meet Baron..... and you would lose all memory of him....and of being here.....and you could carry on with your old life....as if nothing has happened."

Baron took her hand as she leaned in to whisper to him....."She's kidding, right?"

"Can she really do that??"

"YES!!"

"Yes...I can!!"

"Mother!!"

"You....you have wings!?!?"

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A Gown for the Cover

9/28/2021

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"The magazine editor loved your photos, and had me send more of our gowns for you to photograph...."

"He brought the photos to show us...."

"They were really good!"

"He said he still needed one more for the cover...."

"I knew the one that would be perfect..."

"...and showed him my favourite....the pink gown with all the beading."

"He loved it, and said it would be perfect."

"...and he wanted me to model it myself."

"I didn't know if I could do it - or if I even wanted to. I didn't have any experience as a model."

"But he insisted..."

"...and I'm so glad that I did, because that's when I met you...."

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the Magazine Editor

9/27/2021

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"The next day the magazine editor arrived. He said he had discovered a potential new photographer..." Naomi smiled at Baron...." and he wanted one of my models to pose for him, to see what he could do..."

"He liked my green floral evening gown, so I had our model try it on for him...."

"The gown could be worn two ways, one as a shorter elegant evening gown, and also full length as an extravagant ball or gala gown."

"The editor was very particular."

"He loved the colour, and the back bow...."

"But he really loved the longer version...."

"So he wanted the model to wear it for the 'test photo shoot'.....your test photo shoot"

"So that was the one we agreed upon."

"It really was a beautiful gown....."

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the Barbie Castle

9/27/2021

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Today is our daughter's birthday. Thirty two years ago, for her seventh birthday Jan built her an elaborate wooden castle for her Barbies. It's been standing in our basement for decades, but now that our daughter's daughter is five, and old enough to appreciate it, it was finally time to deliver it to it's new home.

Jan cleaned the castle and all the furniture, while I washed all the clothes and doll costumes in the five drawers in the base.

For Mary's seventh birthday I had made every single costume for every single character in Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty'. For her eight birthday I made every costume for every character in Disney's 'the Little Mermaid'. There was also lots of commercial doll clothes. It all smelled a bit 'musty' so I washed it all, ironed some, and sorted and bagged it all in sets.

After the castle and furniture was cleaned, we set it back up so I could take photos....

We were planning on visiting for her birthday yesterday, so the castle had to be taken apart to be moved up the stairs and out into our two vehicles. I thought, since it had to go outside anyways, why not set it up in the backyard so I could take some photos of it for posterity. It had stopped raining, but was still nicely overcast, so Jan agreed.

He set up just the castle itself in the backyard, with no furniture, and I hid the drawer base with pots of flowers, and got some of my small dolls to populate it...anyone who looked the part.....
just to take some photos......with no story.....

So we delivered the big main floor yesterday, along with all the furniture, clothes and naked dolls (which still needed cleaning). The rest will get delivered the next time we go.

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The Fashion Showroom

9/25/2021

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"The Costume Shop was very successful, and we had to expand and hire lots more help."

"Then, having passed off much of the actual sewing work, I thought it was time to finally get into haute couture gowns as well. So we expanded once again, and with awards season just around the corner, I started a Fashion Showroom featuring my own designs.
It was a very elegant looking space..."

"My assistants and I were busy putting the final touches on several gowns."

"I had been contacted by the editor of a prestigious fashion magazine...."

"...and he wanted to do a feature article on my designs."

"...so we were under pressure to get everything done."

'That looks amazing!'

'Looks like everything will be ready for tomorrow.'

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Naomi's Costume Shop

9/25/2021

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"My dream had come true, and I had my own Costume shop...."

"..and I hired two friends from Fashion School to be my assistants."

"Over the next few years, we got the costume contracts for several major theatre productions...."

"So we were always very busy..."

"...almost too busy."

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of Princesses and Fairies

9/24/2021

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Naomi continued with her story....

"I've always loved all the arts and crafts, and loved drawing and colouring. My grandmother was always very encouraging, and would buy me pencils and crayons, and keep her eye out for colouring books featuring Princesses and Fairies."

"I did love colouring them, but I wanted to draw my own, so asked for a sketch book..."

"Then I could draw whatever I wanted."

"I'd spend many happy hours drawing Fairies and Princesses in fancy gowns...."

"I dreamt of becoming a costume designer, so when I grew up I went to a special school to study Fashion and Design."

"My first love had always been fancy costumes...."

"So when I graduated, I opened my own Costume Shop."

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Cinderella's Gown

9/23/2021

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"Another of my favourite childhood stories was Cinderella."

"As an orphan myself, I could relate, and imagine what it was like for her...."

"There were so many different versions of the story, and in all of them Cinderella's Fairy Godmother would come to her rescue, and send her to the Prince's Ball, wearing the most gorgeous, magical gown. I used to dream about wearing such beautiful dresses."

"I'm not surprised. I know several Fairy Godmothers, and they all possess the most extraordinary fashion sense."

"Well yes, but even though I loved Cinderella's beautiful ballgowns..."

"... what really inspired me in the story, was how her little friends, the mice, had altered one of her mother's old dresses to make something special so Cinderella could go to the ball."

"Cinderella loved that dress, and I always cried when her stepsisters later ripped it to shreds."

"Anyways, my grandmother still had some of my mother's old dolls. Some of their clothes had seen better days, while others had lost their dresses altogether. I decided I wanted to fix them up, and sew new clothes for the ones that needed it. I figured if mice could do it, then so could I...."

"So I asked my grandmother to teach me to sew...."

"...and I set to work...."

"....making new gowns for my mother's old dolls."

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