Changed Woman

Michael Mooney: Looking at herself in the tall, wide bridal-shop mirror, Amanda Barbour couldn't help but smile. This was what she'd dreamed of. The big, bright satin dress. The flowers. The beautiful church wedding. She was 36, and for years, she'd imagined herself marrying a pastor and helping people with her story of redemption. Now it was all so close.

The ceremony was just three weeks away, and this was her last chance to make any significant alterations. She admired her dress, running her hands across the embroidery, the pearls, the beaded florets. She practiced walking, then sitting, with the long lacy train. As the seamstress marked small changes and explained how to fasten the bustle, Amanda's face beamed.

She was excited for her dad to see the dress. She imagined walking down the aisle with him. She pictured the father-daughter dance they'd share. She'd always felt so close to him. Even when the rest of the world seemed so hard, he could make her feel like a princess.

Standing there in that dress shop in Deep Ellum, she felt lucky to have been given a second chance, a resurrection of sorts. She thought about the long, strange journey that had brought her to this point. She was finally content. And she wanted her father to be proud.