Let’s go Shopping

Mom and I have always been close, even when we didn't see eye to eye. Because my mom had a secret weapon to keep me in line ~ shopping. We had an agreement, I behaved (for the most part), and mom would take me out of school one day a month (usually Friday) to go shopping. I am not a girlie girl, but I loved to go shopping with my mom. We would visit the thrift and consignment stores, throw in a few garage sales and we couldn't be happier 😊

As luck would have it, at my job I was off on Fridays, so we were able to continue our monthly shopping tradition. Even after my hours changed, once a month (usually Friday) I would take off work and mom and I would hit the thrift store and consignment shops 👭

Our mother-daughter shopping adventures continued even as mom began to get older and had trouble walking due the severe arthritis in her leg. Since she wanted no part of a wheelchair ~ yet, I carried a small folding chair for her to sit and rest when a chair wasn’t available. As she got even older, she had to use a wheelchair ~ shopping at thrift and consignment shops became difficult as they were not always wheelchair accessible.

Even moving into an assisted living facility did not stop our mother-daughter shopping adventures, it just changed them. The facility would bring in vendors to sell their wares, so it was easy for us to shop. Not only that, but they also had a bus that took the residents to a store, more shopping options ~ yahoo! Neither age (92), nor wheelchair, or dementia could stop mom from wanting to go Christmas shopping. So, we dressed in our Christmas shopping best, got on the facility bus and off we went to shop. I had a feeling this would be mom's last shopping adventure, so we went all out, and we had a blast. Fortunately, mom was able to show off her new Christmas outfits and just loved all the attention she was getting. I too loved knowing that our long-time tradition of shopping was still bringing her so much happiness and laughter.

Our shopping adventures started with mom taking me shopping, somewhere along the way our roles reversed, and I was the one taking mom shopping. Since mom passed away, shopping just isn't the same without her. I am forever grateful and thankful that we continued to make time for our mother-daughter shopping adventures. Those days are unforgettable memories 💕👭 💕

  Peace and Love