Mother's Day Madness

So another Mother's Day has come and gone. Seeing as how my brother is out in California I do double duty to make up for his absence. He's still really good about it and calls Mom and sends her gifts and cards which is always good. Although she misses him, I'm sure she takes comfort in the fact that he misses her too. My dad and I always make sure that no matter what, we make the day special for her. Yesterday's Mother's Day foray was no exception and we had a pretty nice day together. One of the gifts I got from my parents that I'm always thankful for is my desire for punctuality. I know it can be a pain if others have to wait for me so I always try my best to be someplace that the time I'm supposed to be.

This desire is not limited to personal appointments, but gift buying as well. As such, in anticipation of mother's day I had bought mom's gift well ahead of time in order to avoid the inevitable madness that would have been in place in stores on the day before Mother's Day. Still, since I felt like getting out of the house on Saturday I went to the mall just to walk around and mostly do some people watching. On day's before major gift giving days like this, it's just too funny to see the madness that seems to enter people.

We entered the mall through a store and immediately upon entry there was a different vibe in the air. The ladies shoe department was abuzz with literally hundreds of women who were strutting around on heels that were too large or trying to squeeze into shoes that were way too small. In the perfume and make-up department there was a mad rush of people falling over one another trying to get the salesperson's attention. It was like the madness you see during winters in Washington as people struggle to buy that last gallon of milk before an inch of snow falls. The ladies clothing departments were no exceptions. Clothes were flying off the racks, not to be purchased but to get out of the way!

And all along the aisles, seated at the feet of dressed up dummies, holding bags and bags of purchases, gently rocking strollers back and forth with cranky children crying or complaining were dozens of intrepid husbands. They braved the madness to spend time with their wives in order to make the day special. They probably wouldn't be setting foot in the mall again until Christmas Eve when many of us do our shopping but they were there nonetheless supporting their wives and helping their kids make sure that no matter what, Mother's Day ended up being a special day. To those intrepid husbands and father's I raise my coffee mug in salute and just remind you... your day is coming up next month. Best Buy, Circuit City and Lowes-type stores will never be the same!