It’s been a lot of feelings since my mom passed away almost a month ago. The best comfort I’ve found has been in talking to people who have also lost someone in their immediate family. One of my friends & co-workers who lost a father 12 years ago told me that she wished she wrote everything down back then. Her memories, what she was thinking, her last conversations with her dad. I don’t know if I can stomach that right now but I think it would be good for me to write down the little things that happen every day that I would love to share with my mom. Today especially, I have a small story that I know she would have loved… I’ve been on the hunt for a dress or two to wear to two weddings I have coming up. For the last two weeks I’ve gone to Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, 2 Nordstrom Racks, J Crew, BCBG, Anthropologie and despite many dresses fitting my body, none were quite worth buying. Today I went to Macy’s and I tried on 4 dresses, 2 of which I liked. I texted Zack one and he approved and then I texted him the other and he was pretty meh about it. I walked out of the fitting room in the second dress that he didn’t like and another shopper in the fitting room gasped, “That dress is beautiful on you! No seriously it’s beautiful! You have to get it!” Just a totally random woman also shopping for dresses to wear to a wedding. I told her I had just texted my boyfriend and he didn’t like it and she was like “No! Do you have good pictures? Let me take better pictures of you.” And she took my phone and snapped a few pics. Growing up it was always hard to shop as my sister and I were fatties in a town of super skinnies. When it came to my prom my mom took me to a Tracy Reese store in Manhattan because I had seen a dress of hers I liked. The girls working in the store reacted the same way as this woman in Macy’s today when I tried on what would be my prom dress. My mom nearly collapsed of happiness. Such kind and helpful girls who looked like models complimenting her daughter?!? My mom would have bought me anything I wanted in that store she was so surprised and pleased by the friendly shop girls – it was just so the opposite of all of my shopping experiences growing up. For years after that day my mom often told the story of buying my prom dress and always pointed out anything mentioning Tracy Reese, like when Michelle Obama wore her. Not only was the dress I was wearing today my mom’s favorite purple and so she would have loved it - but she also would have wanted to hug that woman in the store. That woman unnecessarily complimenting her daughter and giving her the confidence that all women should have. I wish my mom could see the dress and hear this story.
