Mother's Day is 2 days away, and I have very mixed feelings about that.
I'm on my way north to make almost-Mother's-Day visits with my mom's college roommate in CT and her sister in NH, and I'm happy about that, but most of the time I feel bereft because both my parents have passed away and I'm an orphan of sorts.
I spent some time this morning window-shopping in historic Winchester, VA's pedestrian mall. Lots of interesting things to see and perhaps buy, especially in a shop featuring gifts, jewelry and accessories made by local artists. I made myself walk out of there because I feel too poor (financially, anyway) to make a single purchase in a shop like that.
I bought myself a coffee and sat down on an iron park bench to enjoy the mild weather and think carefully about what nifty gifty I could buy as a souvenir of this trip. Almost immediately, an elderly, almost-blind, one-legged woman in a motorized cart zoomed up to me and we began to chat. Like so many of the old ladies I deal with at work, Miss Elizabeth is lonely and feels neglected by her family and erstwhile friends, who rarely find the time to visit her. She was vehemently against a Mother's Day get together. She hates the way families take out their old mothers to restaurants and show them off for a few hours before taking them back to whatever lonely place they spend their solitary days.
That's a sad story to hear, but when Miss Elizabeth and I parted company, I shook her hand and told her she had made my day. Not only does she share my own mother's Christian name, she is also a feisty and interesting person. I have to believe that God sent me to sit on that bench so that I could appreciate something I might otherwise have missed in my pursuit of worldly goods. I can't afford to buy $100 worth of pretty handmade jewelry, but I got a priceless Mother's Day gift instead. I got to connect with my own mom via Miss Elizabeth Marshall.
The funny part of this story is that I walked around the block in order to take a different route back to my hotel, and ran into Miss Elizabeth again. She was sitting in the sun smoking a cigarette. I laughed and said, "I can't get away from you!", squeezed her hand and enjoyed the big smile on her face.
