"Hey, Hon, It's a Red Coat Kinda Day"

January 1, 2011. 

Yes, 01/01/11 was a Red Coat Kinda Day. 

It was foggy, rainy, cold, gloomy, sad all day long.  As I was headed out of the house, my Man called to first tell me that he had changed out my windshield wipers.  He had put them in my stocking!!  My boys passed on the info. that Mom needed new windshield wipers. (No, they weren't that observant, but they were good listeners.)  I love to be able to see out my windows - and especially my windshield - as I drive down the road.  I love my new windshield wipers!

Second, he called to tell me it was "a Red Coat kind of day."  I will need to add a picture to this eventually.  I was already wearing some bright colors in an attempt to redeem the day from the gloom outside, but in lieu of the Red Coat I decided to change because it would take car of my need for color.  Favorite jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt and one other treat I'll have to blog about another time: my red shortie boots . . .  those and my Red Coat would do it.  "Thanks, Hon!"

Several years ago - (about six I think) a patient walked into my hubby's office wearing a beautiful Red Rain Coat.  It went almost to the floor, had a "Little Red Riding Hood" type of hood that not only covered her head but went a few inches extra to keep the rain off her face.  It was fabulous material that didn't look like a rain coat but rather something luxurious.  And it was a beautiful color - Red. 

It was close to Christmas time, and he asked where she got it . . . and then he work his way around town to get one just for me.  It became one of my favorite Christmas surprises ever.  I felt like a million bucks every time I wore it - even more because I knew He had picked it out and taken time to hunt for it and buy it and wrap it - - all that time He was thinking about me.

And a year later it became one of my greatest Christmas heart breaks.  As I can best piece it back together, I went into church early to run the nursery, and four hours later when the sun had come out, I accidently left the coat on the counter and forgot about it because the rain was gone.  And then it didn't rain for several months.  I didn't realize it was lost.  I assume it went to lost and found and eventually sent on to the Goodwill store.  I always think about who might have ended up with that lovely Red Coat and hope that they treasure it as I did.

I felt so horrible.  He had worked so hard to find something VERY nice for me, and I lost it.  UGH!  UGH!  and every time it rained, I felt my heartache again.  UGH!  He might not realize it, but I beat myself up about that again and again and again.  I didn't bring it up because I think he thought I had been very careless to leave it and forget about it.  He was right; I had, and it tore me up.  UGH!

Well, that went on for a few years.  I even found it on the inter-net, the exact one, red and all, but couldn't bring myself to re-spend the money.  I probably watched it for a full year.  I even bought one I thought was just like it but brown from e-bay, but when I got it was a petite.  I am not a petite - at all.  I have long arms, a long body.  It was too small.  The sleeves were too short, even the hood didn't come out as far as the first one had.  And it was brown.  It was almost worse when I wore it - made me long for the original gift even more.  But I still didn't say anything.  Then another Christmas rolled around and as humbly as I asked if we could replace that special gift he had gotten me several years before.  By then we almost couldn't find the coat like the one I lost. 

I think I may have ended up with one of the very last ones in existence.  By now it was a much older style, though I think the most attractive one they had, but few people carried it. 

Well, that was last year's Christmas present, and it has been well used.  Last year we broke free of a very long drought.  It rained a lot last year.  And that rain coat has been put to great use.  Especially yesterday.  It saved yesterday.  I left my umbrella at home, flipped my hood over my head and strode in and out of the stores I was errand-ing.  What could have been a dark and gloomy day was saved and instead racked itself up as a wonderful "Red Coat day."