Ms Mississippi

Beauty Pageants seem to abound about this time of year. There is Miss Hospitality, Miss Mississippi, Miss Magnolia, Watermelon Queen, and many of the local towns have pageants of their own.

Some of these pageants have a Teen, a Little Miss, and sometimes there is even a Mrs. (or Ms.) Title.

In fact, I have two friends (my age) who have both won the title of Mrs. Mississippi. The winner this year was Betty Allen Aden, age 72. Betty and I were in college together. She had been a college beauty, so her win was no big surprise. She is also the Creator and Director of the Delta Rockers - a Greenwood, MS show dance group of eight women, ages 65 - 72.

Our 16-year-old granddaughter, Olivia, is no stranger to Beauty Pageants. She was the 15-18 Year old Queen in the 2013 Jones County March of Dimes Beauty Pageant, as well as the winner of the Western Wear Division. She was the second Alternate in the Taylorsville High School Beauty Pageant, this year.

She has begun to think about entering another pageant - one that also has a "Mrs." category. She and her mom were discussing pageant dresses and all the additional accessories required. I had just recently read about my old college friend winning the Mrs. Mississippi Pageant.

I said, "You know, I just might be interested in entering that pageant with you, in the Mrs. Category, of course." I saw the looks like passed between mother and daughter (my daughter and granddaughter). It was one of those "she isn't really serious, is she?"

I continued with, "I'll need to shop for a pageant gown and some high heels that I can walk in without stumbling, or falling, and I'll need to start working on an attractive hair style." I continued with what I would need, additionally, and how much fun it would be to be in a pageant at the same time as my beautiful granddaughter. I was kidding, but they didn't know that, and I was really enjoying getting them all "worked up"!  

They looked at each other, again, and this time I'm sure I saw raised eyebrows, and granddaughter Olivia might even have exhaled deeply. Daughter Gale took a deep breath as if she was weighing the consequences of what she was about to say...and then came..."And you're gonna' need some Spanx!"

I smiled and thought (to myself) "there's not enough Spanx, on the planet, to make me look like Betty Allen Aden!" I have spent too many hours, on my front porch, in a rocking chair!  And that, my friends, was the day I knew that the one Mrs. title I already had was enough!