The Real Sleeping Beauty Part I...

Maleficent: Listen well, all of you. [clangs her scepter] The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. But... before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger, on the spindle of a spinning wheel - AND DIE!

It seemed only natural to me to have a Grand Ball for Heather after she went into remission and was finished her treatments. It was the best way I knew to thank everyone for their support and to celebrate Heather’s battle and defeat of cancer. Of course as planning got underway it turned into a much bigger event than I had originally thought. As with any party when the details come together it turns and changes into what it will be.

Of course the biggest issue was for Heather and what she was going to wear. The colors for the Ball were pink, more pink, black and white. When Heather and I talked about colors all she could quote me was from the Steel Magnolia movie.

Truvy: What are your colors, Shelby?

Shelby: My colors are “blush” and “bashful.”

M’Lynn: Her colors are “pink” and “pink.”

Shelby: MY colors are “blush” and “bashful”, Mama!

M’Lynn: How precious is this weddin’ gonna get, I ask you?

Shelby: Pink is my signature color

M’Lynn: [referring to Shelby’s many pink decorations]

The sanctuary looks like it has been hosed down in Pepto Bismol.

 

I think that is one reason why pink was chosen. The other reason was that Heather wanted a pink dress. We found a pink dress at Dillards that I bought in September but once home, it just didn’t feel right. I thought then that we would begin looking at the bridal and prom shops for a better dress. The Ball was turning quite grand and the Grand Duchess needed the right dress. Heather really wanted a pink dress so she could be Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. The very first shoppe we tried was Susanne’s Bridal. We had looked there for Heather’s prom dress a few years earlier. Heather tried on several dresses and was beginning to get discouraged as none of them had the right look. The gal helping us brought out a blue ball gown that had a tear and the original purchaser backed out of it. Heather wasn’t thrilled but she tried it on anyway. It is funny how fate works that way, but that dress was PERFECT! It wasn’t pink, but it fit her so well, she looked just like a princess and it was adjustable depending on how steroids fell during the ball. As she looked at herself in the mirror I knew she wanted the dress but didn’t want to ask me to buy it. It was a bit more spendy than I had planned. I looked at her wanting eyes and told them “we will take it!” The exclaim of joy in Heather’s face was priceless.

Merryweather: Sweet princess, if through this wicked witch's trick, a spindle should your finger prick... a ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you'll keep. And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss, the spell shall break.

Heather decided once she had her dress that she could be Cinderella instead. She was happy with that idea. She managed to find what she called “glass slipper” shoes. They were sheer and had rhinestones on them. Next was Heather’s tiara. Of course all princesses and duchesses have to have tiaras. With the blue dress in mind she found one that had a more Cinderella look to it.  Everything was complete. I even managed to get her a white limo to drive her to the Ball she would arrive in her “carriage”. For me there is no detail too small when it comes to planning. 

  

The night of the Grand Ball was beyond Heather’s dreams I think. She was the princess of the ball and everything was perfect. She really looked like a real princess. It was a night of laughter and joy after months of horrible things. It was a night to thank nurses and people who had really been our support during her treatments. It was a celebration to end all celebrations and move forward into the future. I had no idea at the time this was to be Heather’s “wedding” of sorts. It was basically a wedding reception with no groom. Yes, it was that fancy. Looking back I don’t regret the ball at all. I wish I had allowed her to invite as many people as she wanted too. But I feel that the important people were there at the time.

 

In the traditional Italian version of this fairy tale, the Sleeping Beauty is named Princess Aurora. In the German version, she is named Briar Rose. The film incorporated both names by having Princess Aurora use the name Briar Rose while undercover.

For Heather’s 21^st birthday the whole family went to Disneyland. During this trip was one of the first times in many years that the Walk Thru Sleeping Beauty Castle was opened again. As we went thru the Castle, Heather got ahead of me. (small stairways and lots of people-easy to do) As we got towards the end, Heather came running back to me all excited. She was touching my arm, grabbing at my arm to come with her and saying “Oh Momy, hurry come see…come see!”  Princess Aurora is always depicted in her PINK dress. Anytime you see her she is always wearing pink. The real story is that when Aurora pricks her finger and falls asleep, she is wearing the BLUE dress. Aurora is laid out to “sleep” in her BLUE dress. Heather’s excitement as she found out that she had been Aurora, Sleeping Beauty after all was nothing but pure joy. She kept saying “I WAS Aurora, I had the blue dress, I was Sleeping Beauty.” The delight in her eyes, twinkling is something I will never ever forget.

  Sleeping Beauty was made while Walt Disney was building Disneyland (hence the four year production time). To help promote the film, Imagineers named the park's icon "Sleeping Beauty Castle." An indoor walk-through exhibit was added to the empty castle interior in 1957, where guests could walk-through the castle, up and over the castle entrance, viewing "Story Moment" dioramas of scenes from the film, which were improved with animated figurines in 1977. It closed shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, supposedly because the dark, unmonitored corridors were a risk. After being closed for seven years, the exhibit space underwent extensive refurbishment to restore the original 1957 displays, and reopened to guests on November 27, 2008. (Sleeping Beauty castle opened 11 days before we arrived for our visit on Dec, 2008)

If the castle had not reopened when it did, Heather might have never known that Aurora wears the BLUE dress. Aurora walks down the stairway to make her grand entrance in the BLUE dress. She and Prince Phillip begin waltzing with her BLUE dress. It is quite some time before the fight begins of pink verses blue. I knew that the castle had been closed for some time but had not given much thought to it till I began working on this blog and found out that it had just reopened. I don’t feel this was by accident. I feel this was just one more confirmation that Heather really was Aurora in real form her on earth. Aurora has fair, porcelain skin, long golden hair with sunlight shining in it and lips that fail to compare to a red rose. If you watch after the prince kisses Aurora her eyes open to reveal the most stunning crystal blue huge eyes, just like Heather’s. Heather’s eyes were the window to her soul and inner beauty. 

 

If you have watched Sleeping Beauty you know that the Fairies change the spell from death to sleep. It was the last wish to grant upon the tiny princess. The fairies also put everyone else in the kingdom to sleep till someone can awaken the princess. I managed to watch bits and pieces of Sleeping Beauty on the cruise last September, but there is a part I had never heard before. It has really struck a cord with me. It really makes me wonder if Walt Disney lost a baby somewhere along the way. It is such a profound scene in the movie.

[after Aurora falls into her sleep]

Fauna: Poor King Stefan, and the Queen

Merryweather: They’ll be heartbroken when they find out

Flora: They’re not going to

Merryweather: They aren’t?

Flora: We’ll put them all to sleep, until Rose awakens

The fairies are the ones that lay Aurora “sleeping” in the tower of the castle. They put a small blanket over her feet and legs. One of them places a single red rose in her hands that are folded gently across her stomach. Aurora looks very peaceful “sleeping.” In that moment she is beyond beautiful. April 20^th I brought Heather’s blue ball gown to the hospital. I laid it on top of Heather so that she could “wear” her ball gown. After Heather died we all left the room and the nurses took off all the medical IV’s and the vent. They cleaned her up and placed her gown on top of her without the hospital gown on and placed her tiara on her head. Honestly it was the most peaceful and most like Heather that she had looked in weeks. Many of the night staff from 6 South came down to pay respects. Many of them said she looked like the true princess she was. Some said she looked like she was just sleeping. One told me they would never have another princess on 6 South again. Truthfully, in that moment Heather looked just like Aurora, she was the real Sleeping Beauty.

 

It was the most natural thing that for Heather’s funeral she needed to wear her blue Ball Gown. I never thought twice about what she was going to wear. She had her tiara and her shoes. (the tiara and shoes would not be cremated with her) She looked very peaceful, again like she was sleeping. Her hands were folding across her stomach and a single rose was placed in her hands. Again to me, this is Sleeping Beauty just played out in real life, Heather’s life.

 

Flora: [Fauna cries at Aurora’s and Phillip’s wedding]

Why Fauna, what’s the matter, dear?

Fauna: Oh…I just love happy endings.

 

Heather didn’t get the prince to ride up on his white horse. She didn’t get to be awakened by true love’s first kiss. Her spell was not broken so that she would only sleep and not die. I didn’t get my happy ending the way I thought I would. Life is not a fairy tale. Oh how much I really wish it could be a book, movie or fairy tale. I wish I could change the ending and we could all live Happily Ever After. Heather is living Happily Ever After in Heaven. That was her fairy tale ending…