This Old Hat

It belonged to Papa Bud.

And a few weeks ago, during our Easter visit to North Carolina, I asked Moma Jo to give me something of Papa's.

She went to her keepsake drawer and pulled out this hat.

He loved this hat, (actually, he loved this style of hat and had several tam o'shanters long before Payne Stewart made them so popular!)

He wore it when occasions called for a casual dress. I remember him wearing it to the hospital when he came to visit all the babies when they were born. He wore it when he went shopping at the mall or to doctor appointments.

He wore it a lot. Its quite worn. And it has his smell.

I buried my face into it and took a deep breath and it was Papa. I can't describe his smell, only it is a little like Mennen cologne and his shampoo. But it was HIM.

It instantly brought tears to my eyes. Lord, how I miss that man.

I miss him wearing this hat and his Members Only coat. You knew he was heading someplace special when he pulled that outfit out!

I placed the hat into a ziplock bag. I want to capture his smell for as long as I possibly can.