It was Christmas day, presents were piled high in our Great Room and little kid busting-at-the-seams excitement filled the air.

But part of you was miserable.

You were a little girl, five years old, still too young to express a complicated feeling. But if you could have said what was on your mind, you would have screamed something like:

I hate wearing this fancy, stiff, uncomfortable dress!  It’s just not me!

Your attire, you see, was the cause of the misery.  Hey, that rhymes.

You looked pretty, but deep down inside you were a boiling caldron. A festering female.

Look at your face in the far right of this photo:

Your Mom recognized your inner pain and soon you were a new Christmas Day girl:

That was the last time your Mom dressed you that way. Good for her; she’s got plenty of common sense, trusts her gut and worries about the important things in life.

That Christmas morning wasn’t the first time Grammy and I, or your parents, had noticed the thing about your and your clothes.  You instantly gravitated toward lightweight and loose.  You wore out the t-shirts I’d bring back from business trips.   Baggy sweatshirts and sweatpants felt right.  So did long pants.  In the summertime, you’d never wear a bikini, preferring long board shorts and a top that covered you fully.  Skirts?  No way, Jose.

Comfy clothes.  That’s what you called them.  Comfy clothes.

This year we started noticing a slight change.  You’ll wear regular jeans, a bright top and a two piece bathing suit.  Once in awhile.  I don’t know what’s spurring this change; maybe your friends at school – like Jillian – or your fashion magnate sister of yours. Maybe none of the above, you’re just ready.

The other day, fresh off a business meeting, I went to see you play softball.  I wore pants, dress shoes, belt and a tucked in long sleeve shirt.  No suit.  No jacket.  No tie.  But when you saw me you said:

Papa, how come you’re wearing fancy clothes?

I chuckled to myself, appreciating how my Emma still has the same feelings down deep… despite recent fashion experiments. It’s part of your DNA, who you are.  Comfort flies both ways; clothes that feel comfortable on your skin.

And clothes that make you feel comfortable in your own skin.