Earrings & Scarves

In 2002, a dear friend of mine named Kristin died.  She was 88, I met her when she was 84 and she and I were thick as thieves the last 4 years of her life.  We called her my West Coast Mom.  My Mom, Betty, used to send Kristin birthday cards, mother's day cards, Christmas cards and would always ask about her every time Mom and I talked.  Kristin always asked about Mom.  It was fantastic having two Moms for a while there.

Kristin was a simple woman, a millionaire, but simple.  Her gloves didn't match.  She bought day old bread.  Her house was dirty but clean enough.  She was alone until I found her collapsed into a laurel hedge seeking refuge from a downpour, I talked her into letting me help her get home and from then on, I took her grocery shopping every week, to all her doctor appointments and slowly but surely, became her surrogate daughter.  She called me her angel but really, she was the one who was heavenly.  Kristin was lovely.

I didn't know she was rich until she died, she'd written me into her will for a tiny fraction of a fraction of a fraction, and it was still enough to help me pay off some of my business debt and give me some breathing room for a few months.

There were many great things about Kristin but one of the neatest things about her was how she pared down her existence until, after she died, there was hardly anything left for those of us handling her affairs to have to contend with.

This is not the case with my Mom.

Mom loved stuff.  She kept almost everything.  And by everything, I mean everything.

Now, my sister is slowly sending me choice belongings and a few days ago a small box arrived with about 6 pairs of Mom's favorite earrings, some pins and two scarves.  I've already received a bunch of hats, some scarves and other jewelry. 

For those of you who ever saw it, Mom's closet rivaled the racks at Macy's - she had easily over a hundred tops, half that number of slacks and around 30 dresses.  Moving to North Carolina gave her a reason to begin collecting coats, sweaters, wraps and the like. 

There seemed to be no stopping her.  Mom is the opposite of Kristin.

The two muumuus I bought her in Hawaii - now back in my closet - are among my favorite Mom things, Heidi and I are going to wear them this summer at one of our studio parties, and, as I told you a while back, I will eventually buy hat holders and put the hats up around the walls of the studio and on special days, we'll get them down and wear them during class. 

So far, everything my sister has sent has found a home in my home.  I will glue these newly arrived earrings on a box I'm painting for Mom's ashes - it will be a little performance piece all its own.  I still have a bunch of things Kristin gave me, too.  Like her cutting board, a bunch of her kitchen stuff, a set of chairs, her spinet desk and best of all, her key fob. 

Is sentimentality herediatary?  If so, I know how I got this.  I got this from my real Mom, not my West Coast Mom.  My West Coast Mom was a minimalist.  My real Mom was a maximalist.  I'm a bit of both.

Love and Prayers From Here to There