This is an account of Saturday, May 11, 2013. I spent the entire day with my precious mother celebrating Mother's Day. I will savor the memory of every moment of that day forever. I thank God for the wonderful gift He gave me by allowing her to spend the last day before her stroke with me.
I had talked to Mom several times earlier in the week, making plans for me to spend Saturday with her for our Mother's Day celebration. We were both eagerly looking forward to it. I arrived at Danae's house on Saturday morning to find Danae and Mom sitting at the kitchen table. I looked over at Mom, who was grinning from ear to ear. She told me that she wanted to go to Macy's first and get a compact so she could get the free gift and that she wanted to get one for me too! My sweet mother wanted to do something so special for me. I felt like I should protest but, I could see how much it would mean to her. It was a loving, generous, very "Mom" thing to do.
Mom was very eager to get going on our day. She looked beautiful (as always). She was wearing a new top we had gotten a few weeks earlier at Kohl's. Her nails were freshly done and she had on several of her rings. She was wearing a beaded necklace that was knotted. Danae had done her hair and makeup and she actually glowed! We got into the car and sped away towards the mall. She kept going over the list of all the places she wanted to go on the day, including lunch and a movie.
The mall was full of last minute Mother's Day shoppers, so we drove around for a while looking for a parking place. Mom really wanted to find a handicap spot. She loved being able to pull her placard out of her purse and hang it on the rear view mirror. It always made her happy to feel like she was contributing. We ended up parking at the far end of Macy's. It was the closest spot we could find that had enough room so we could get the wheel chair out.
We headed straight to the Lancome counter for our makeup. I can still see her sitting there with her lips pursed like a little girl, while the saleslady tried different shades on her. We both ended up getting the same color. Mom was so pleased as we picked out what we wanted in our free gifts. She was beaming. I laughingly hung the bag on the handle of the wheel chair and said what a great bag holder it made. Our day was off to a wonderful start!
Mom wanted to get some new pants, as hers were looking a little baggy. We started browsing and we found some tan ones right away. She wanted to look at tops and some lightweight sweaters. She was very excited for her Mother's Day plans the following day and she wanted to get a new outfit. We found a really cute goldish colored, short sleeved sweater, that looked so darling on her. She was very perky! She also mentioned that she need a gray sweater. We searched around and found one just as we were about to leave the department. It was very stylish and Mom was somewhat skeptical. I insisted that she try it on, as I knew it would be perfect on her, and it was! She stood up and preened in front of the mirror and we both burst into laughter. It was a little pricey and she was not sure if she should spend the money, but I really encouraged her to get it. She looked adorable in it!
Next on her list were some new sandals. We headed over to shoes and had one of the nicest salesgirls I have ever seen help us! She was quite young, but very sweet with Mom. She very patiently listened to exactly what Mom wanted and went back and brought out several pairs for her to try on. She gently took off Mom's shoes and socks and carefully tried on each pair of the new shoes. We both helped her to stand up so she could take a couple of steps and see how they felt. Mom was very pleased with the pair she selected. Her tiny little feet, with her painted toenails, looked so darling in those sandals!
At this point, Mom was hungry, so we went out into the mall to find a spot for lunch. After finding the Food Court on the mall directory, Mom decided it was too far and there wasn't really anything she felt like eating there. After much discussion, we decided to go to the snack bar in Target, which was only a couple of stores away. Mom was always ready for a good hot dog and they had a Starbucks in there, also. She thought it would be the simplest plan, so we would not have to get in and out of the car to go to a restaurant. I pushed her over to a table and I went to stand in the hot dog line. After getting our Starbucks, (Mom had her favorite, a Caramel Frappacino) I sat down at the table with her. We laughed and chatted about so very many things. She was full of plans for the summer. I was going to be able to spend more time with her and we were both looking forward to it. She wanted to work on more of her embroidered dish towels. We talked about all of the family and how forward she was looking to the newest members of it arriving over the summer. She wanted to know how everything was going with Michelle. Mom told me, with tears in her eyes, how happy she would be when it would all be over for her. We were shocked when we looked at the time and realized how long we had been sitting there!
Mom thought that we should leave the mall through the Target exit instead of going all the way back to Macy's. We had to walk quite a ways to get to the car, but it was very pleasant outside and we both enjoyed it. Of course, I could not remember exactly where we had parked. Mom made looking for the car a fun game and we ended up roaring in laughter.
One of the things on Mom's list was going to see The Great Gatsby. We decided to drive over to the theater to see what time it was playing. I parked the car and went to check on movie times. It was a long movie and it did not play again until 3:30. I got back in the car so we could decide what to do. After some discussion, Mom decided that she was afraid that if we saw the movie she would end up falling asleep and she didn't want to waste any part of the day sleeping. She wanted to move on to the next thing on her list.
Mom wanted to go by Hobby Lobby and look at their fabric and see if they had the dish towels she liked. We almost got a handicap parking space, but someone shot into it before I could get there. Mom had a few choice words about that.... She was very eager to get shopping and we really took our time browsing up and down the aisles. We stopped and looked at pictures, mirrors and various knick-knacks. There were a couple of cute owl statues she wanted me to get for Jackie's room. Mom always had lots of decorating ideas. When we had pretty much exhausted the rest of the store, we browsed through the fabric department leisurely. She knew that Jackie loved owls and she spotted some really cute fabric that was covered with them. She thought it would make really darling curtains. I had recently purchased some owl fabric at Joanne's that was cut out and ready to go laying on my sewing cabinet at home. I told this to Mom, but she was sure this new one was better. Actually, I had to agree and ended up getting it. She knew I was making a Thomas rag quilt for Jake and she spotted some Thomas flannel I had never seen before. Even though I had already cut out all of his quilt, I purchased some of the new fabric because she thought it was so perfect and it was. She also found some darling Princess fabric that she knew would be just the thing for Priscilla's love of Disney royalty. All of this was vintage Mom. With all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she could always remember what was going on with each one!
Our next stop was the one Mom had been looking forward to all day, the new Home Goods store. We both love that store and a new one was really exciting! Danae had already been there and had told Mom it was a stun. She was giddy! As we drove into the parking lot, she spotted a vacant handicap spot. I sped into it! We slowly entered the store. After a slight pause to scan the entire store, we began our shopping. Mom was literally giggling, she was so excited. She wanted me to push her up and down every aisle so she could see absolutely everything. We took our time on each aisle picking up items and discussing possible uses for them. When I mentioned to Mom that I wanted some new coffee mugs for my mug tree, she insisted we speed to that area. I think we literally handled every mug in the store. Mom listed her criteria for the perfect mug, not too heavy and just the right rim on it. We chatted and laughed the time away enjoying every single minute of it. Neither of us ended up buying anything, but we had plenty of ideas for future purchases.
By the time we were leaving, we were both getting hungry. Mom suggested The Corner Bakery, which was one of our favorite spots. It was right across the street, so we were there in a couple of minutes. Mom was not sure what she was going to order, so we let a few people go in front of us. She wanted her usual, which was half of a sandwich and soup. The dilemma was which soup to order. When we had eaten there the last time, Mom had gotten the tomato basil and after a few bites she told me it was way too spicy. I told her I would take it back and get her something milder. She was very perky, when I brought her back the chicken noodle. I reminded her of this and suggested she get the chicken noodle. She wanted something different, so she went with the asparagus soup and a chicken pesto sandwich. I ordered the Santa Fe chicken salad. After a few minutes of eating Mom's eyes were watering and I asked her what was wrong. She started laughing and said her soup was too spicy. I told her I would be right back with a bowl of chicken noodle. A few bites later, she was muffling her laughter. I asked her what was so funny and she said it wasn't the soup that was spicy, it was her sandwich. We were both roaring! We ended up sharing my salad, which was huge. We sat and talked about our day and what we would do on my next visit. Mom was getting tired, so we decided to leave. As we headed to the door, Mom asked me what kind of desserts Michelle liked. I told her she loved most every kind. Mom wanted to go back to the counter and get something for me to take home to Michelle and the girls. After a few minutes she decided on little chocolate cakes. So sweet and so Mom!
When we got back to Danae's, we found out that Danae was up at the store. We sat and visited some more and then I decided to leave as it was getting dark. Paul was in the next room and he said Danae would be home any minute. I told Mom to please stay in her chair until she got there and she said she would. As I walked out front, Danae drove up. I stood there for a couple of minutes talking with her. I saw the blinds moving and Mom called to us out the window. I ran back into the house and told her to please get back in her chair. I was so scared that she would have another fall. She sat back down and said that she would be more careful. I kissed her goodbye again. She held my hand tightly and said she wanted me to do something for her. She wanted me to call her when I got home, no matter how late it was. She said she would have her phone next to her and that she would be awake. She told me to promise and I did.
On my way home that night, I was tired, but also happy. It had been one of those perfect days. We had spent quality, treasured time together. When I got home, the first thing I did was to call Mom. She answered right away. I said, "I'm home!" She laughed and thanked me for calling. I told her to have a wonderful Mother's Day and that I would call her tomorrow. I told her I loved her and she answered, "Love you."
This day with Mom was one of the best gifts I have ever received. I wanted to remember every single moment of it always. I can close my eyes and see her face and feel the touch of her hands. I can hear her contagious laugh. I have a million wonderful memories of her and I am blessed that the memory of this day is mine forever.
