Mimi's Wishing Well

Like many mothers and daughters, my mom and I spent lots of time together shopping. We particularly enjoyed bargain shopping for odds and ends that we really didn't need. I cannot tell you how many times I put some little treasure in my basket, only to hear my mom say, "Don't buy that, Kerry. I have one at home that you can have." And, not only did she have one. She would often have something even better. And, she always knew exactly where it was!

Last fall when my mom's health had declined to the point that a shopping excursion was no longer an option, I was picking up some groceries at Trader Joe's. I saw a young woman and her mother shopping, as if they had all the time in the world to be together. Tears filled my eyes. There is nothing that I wouldn't have given at that moment to have my mom by my side, healthy, happy, and completely carefree.

A couple of weeks after my mom died, I was at the Dollar Store with my friends Jen and Susan. My friends wanted to get some cheap dog toys for their pups to destroy. Although shopping  was the farthest thing from my mind, it occurred to me that I should see if the store had any multiplication flash cards. My son Conrad is in the third grade and currently learning his multiplication facts.

As luck would have it, the store had tons of addition, subtraction, and division flash cards. Heck, they even had flash cards for little kids learning their shapes and colors. But, not a single pack of multiplication cards! Jen and I searched the shelves and dug through the boxes, and still came up empty handed. I was a little disappointed and thought it a little strange, but decided that I would check another Dollar Store later.

When I left the Dollar Store, I went over to my parent's house. I was going to visit my dad and work on putting away some things from the funeral. When I walked in the front door, my dad, who has been busying himself by cleaning things out,  proudly announced, "I cleaned out another drawer! Got rid of just about everything in it. But, I saved one thing. Here..." he said as he handed me a Multiplication Fast Facts Wheel. "I thought Conrad could use this."

Some may call this situation a coincidence. But, I am absolutely convinced that my mom was communicating with me. Now, whenever I see a mother and daughter enjoying the day together, and I feel the familiar surge of sadness swell up inside me, I remind myself what my mother told me that day. She was not trying to save me a dollar. Instead, she was telling me that she will always be with me.