Nothing To Wear

It seems that at some time most children give their parents gifts that are actually bought by the parent who is receiving the gift. I thought that was so funny as a child, but I loved giving a "real" gift to my mom. Now as a mom myself I know that a scribbled page from my toddler is more precious than any store-bought item, but from a child's point of view, giving a present from a store's shelf made me feel more grown up.

This reminds me of a young boy, about ten years old, who came through the line at KMart where I cashiered during my college summer and winter breaks. It was Christmas season and he had chosen some slippers and jeans and a shirt for his mom. So sweet! Unfortunately when he gave me his money to pay, he was several dollars short. When I asked him if he had more money (I didn't have any cash or anything--for those of you who may want to scalp me for not just paying for the kid's stuff.) he looked sad and started to put all the items back. I quickly told him that he had enough for the jeans and shirt if he wanted to leave off the slippers and his big smile showed how happy and relieved he was. It was one of the most loving things I have ever seen. I could tell that he really loved his mom and wanted to give her a token of that love.

As a young girl, I once gave my mom a gift of a nightshirt. You know, those screenprint shirts with a witty saying and picture. This particular bit of humor said "I have nothing to wear!" as a woman stands in front of an overstuffed closet. Well, I must admit that I AM THAT WOMAN. That's right, tonight I literally became the woman who can't find space to hang up all of her clothes, yet has "nothing to wear." Amusing, yet sad, I suppose. So, I decided to begin a pile of clothing to give to charity and also boxed up all of my winter items since summer is just beginning. How valiant of me! Well, as I finished my task, I am proud to announce that I have a box full of winter clothes to put in storage for a few months (then I will try to stuff them back in my closet!) and two shirts to give to Goodwill. Wow. Maybe I didn't succeed as I thought, but I am setting yet another goal of trying on two outfits a week and making a final decision. Should I allow myself the option of just stuffing it back in the closet?