There are certain pleasures that we have in life that just make it worth living. Of course, we all have something different that we might consider special but for some people, there is nothing quite like looking through a second hand thrift store. Some people even turn it into something bigger, hoping for one of those moments you might see on Antiques Roadshow. Then again, some people just go because they love the bargains.
That was the case for a woman that went to a Salvation Army store in her local area in Lihue, Hawaii. Her name is Shannon Hiramoto and she just wanted a mu’umu’u. You see, she loves wearing those hawaiian dresses and she often will go to thrift stores to see if she can find some vintage styles. What she found on that day, however, was a complete surprise. It started out to be just the perfect dress but then she saw some strange handwriting on the tag.
You never quite know what is going to happen and sometimes, you might get a surprise you would never have expected. That was the case for Shannon and she has a story that brings things full0circle in an amazing way.
“I saw this beautiful muumuu right here, and I’m like, ooh, a mini one, because you know it’s always fun finding a shorter one. When I looked at the tag, it said Liberty House, then it also had handwritten on it ‘Kamei.'”
It turned out that Kamei was the last name of her great-grandmother. It may have been a coincidence but she had a feeling deep down inside that she had once seen her wearing something similar.
Shannon began to look through the family album but she didn’t find the picture she wanted. Fortunately, her mother found one.
“I just knew that she always liked to wear muumuu that had pink or purple or red, and it seemed familiar in this memory way. Then a couple nights later, my mom texts me a photo and it’s this (pointing to muumuu) and it’s her, and it’s a full-body shot and I was just so excited.”
Shannon was shocked to learn that she had bought the same dress that her great-grandmother had worn. There were also some other odd happenings that would make her feel closer to her.
It seems that it was more than a woman wearing a Hawaiian print in the picture. There was something going on in the background, the fact that it was taken in front of a church.
“What’s really special about it is she’s there. Her ashes, her remains are in the back of the church there, so it was like visiting her again.”
You can learn more about this story in this video: