Making Corsages At Bishop Maginn

No uniforms, no masks (for most of the kids) at Bishop Maginn today.  I’d never seen Paris without a mask on, I almost didn’t recognize her.

Sue bought the silk flowers and ribbons with the money the Army of Good donated to the prom.  It was all spread out on one of the big round tables in the art room.  There was an empty chair between Paris and Hser Nay so I sat down.

Paris showed me the corsage she had made then handed me another one she had also made.  “Here,” she said,” this is for you.”

I thanked her, tied the silk flowers onto the strap of my dress and asked Paris if she could show me how to make one myself.

Paris explained to me all the materials, the flowers, ribbon, and feathers. Then she helped me clip the stem of a couple of the flowers with the wire cutters and told me how they were sharing one scissor to cut the ribbon.  The rest of the scissors were already packed away for the move to the new school.

I made a corsage and we talked about the prom and what some of the kids would be doing this summer.  When she heard we were coming to the prom, Paris suggested I make a corsage for Jon.

Jayla sat across the table from us, looking at her smartphone.  She was going to the prom, but she said didn’t know how to make a corsage.  “Paris will show you”, I said, “she’s good at it.”  So Paris got up and took the chair next to Jayla.  Passing flowers and scissors back and forth across the big round table with the other girls,  Jayla made a corsage for herself.

It wasn’t lost on me that I had spent some weeks this year teaching Paris to sew and now she was the teacher, her generous spirit shining through.