Purging--a different slant

[terrilynn]

I recently lost my mom, and being the child who lived the closest to her ( in distance and relationship) my siblings sort of left it up to me to handle her estate.
While my wife and I were going through her possessions, I opend the closet in the back bedroom, the one she used to store her old stuff. We had all agreed that her clothing should go to Goodwill and I was taking her old clothes out and boxing them up.
To my total surprise, I found the first 2 dresses that I had ever tried on as a teenager.
I just sat there for a long time looking at them, and remembering all the feelings they originally brought out in me back then, then it hit me----my mom never purged, or so it seemed.
Sometimes I think she knew i was messing with her things back then, but nothing was ever said if she suspected. She had gone through and gotten rid of a lot of clothes over the years, but not these two dresses.
Am I just hoprfully wishing, or could she have known and just saved them? Well, anyway, theres no way on earth they would fit now, so I folded them nicely and sent them along with the other clothes. Maybe they will fit someone else as well as they did me all those years ago, actually brought a tear or two to me.

[Janelle Young]

I am so sorry about the loss of your mother. Mothers are indeed special people and they tend to be pretty smart. So she may have known and just not said anything. In any event it is nice that the dresses brought back nice memories to you .

[Shelly Preston]

Hi I am sad to hear about your recent loss

It must have been a wonderful surprise finding those dresses
I am glad they gave you some happy memories at such a difficult time. :hugs:

[Sophia Rearen]

That's special. Perhaps you had a great sense of fashion and she kept her faves?

[SherriePall]

Terrilynn -- sorry to hear about your loss. For the most part, mothers are extra special to us CDers, even if they don't know or realize. I suspect, as you do, that your mom knew. Keep your special memories close to your heart.

[ColleenCD]

Terrylynn,

Sorry to hear about your Mom. It does sound like you had a special bond with your Mom that you siblings did not. Seeing those dresses is a special bond you can always keep.

Colleen

[Lawren]

I thought I was the only one that that had happened to. When my Mom passed on I found a dress that she had made for my sister that was the very first dress I had ever tried on. As if to further my amazement I found the I could still wear it! But, alas, it is gone now too.

[Holly O'Niell]

Had a similar situation happen to me a few years ago. Whilst looking through old family photographs I came across a picture of my elder sister in her communion dress.
She wore that dress for a day, I can honestly say I had it on and off more than her and wore it for longer. I always looked upon it as mine.

[Adrienne Heels]

Terri...sorry to hear about your mom but it is wonderful that you found those memories of her

[Charleen]

Sorry about your Mom. Any loss is hard. Memories are a two edged sword. We can go down into the depths easily, or like what happened to you, they can help heal. I'm glad that you found those dresses as they gave you the opportunity to recall some good times in your past, as well as some neat speculation about why you're Mom kept them. We will always miss those we have lost, my parents and wife for me, but iof we keep the good memories alive and in the fore front instead of constantly thinking how much we miss them, we heal. Love and xxxx, Lily:hugs:

[Calliope]

Maybe they will fit someone else as well as they did me all those years ago, actually brought a tear or two to me.

[Sniff] ~ that is a beautiful thought. Would it be possible if the next person to wear them ... ??

[terrilynn]

Thank you all who have answered with your kind words. Mothers are definately very special people to us, whether spoken about or not. Whatever reasons she kep them for, maybe hoping for a more femme daughter ( my older sis was pretty much a tomboy, riding in rodeos, and later joining the Marines.) Maybe it would have been a lot different if either of us had spoken to the other about it.

Maybe some other 'girl' will see them at the Goodwill and buy them for herself for her 'first time', we can only guess at. Whoever does, I hope they are as much comfort to her as they were to me in my self discovery.