My Mother’s Slippers by Debra H. Goldstein
My Mother’s Slippers by Debra H. Goldstein
At this time of year, I think about my mother. She was a driving force in my life until her unexpected death in
2014. There are still times when I want to pick up the phone and share good news with her or ask for her advice, but I can’t. What I can do is keep a part of her with me – her slippers.
Not the pair she wore, but one of twenty or thirty pairs of the identical slippers that she hoarded. My mother was an atypical hoarder. Everything in her house was always perfectly in place and her kitchen floor was so clean that one could eat off of it. Newspapers and magazines were thrown out once read; finished books, except for ones I wrote, were loaned to friends, or donated; and clothes were stylish but took up no more than a closet.
Her hoarding fetish involved shoes. She loved them. Because she had a hard to fit foot (super narrow and only a six or six and one-half), if she found a pair of shoes to fit, she bought them — in every color. If she found something she loved was going to be discontinued, she stocked up on them. The thing about my mother was that she wore all of those shoes. Each one matched an outfit or a mood and while she kept them carefully boxed on shelves in her closet, she believed in wearing and enjoying them.
After she died, my sister and I relished the memory of her cute outfits and her shoes. I was only saddened by the fact that while we had the same shoe size, our feet were just different enough that the last that fit her didn’t work for me. What did work were her slippers. She had found a pair of step-in flower-patterned slippers that she loved because they were narrow enough to stay on and soft enough not to rub her foot. She wore that particular brand for years and when she discovered they were being discontinued, she bought up every pair she could find. When she passed away, there were twenty plus pairs that had never been worn. I tried one on and they were perfect. Although I didn’t take them all, I brought several pairs home with me. Seven years later, morning or night, I think of my mother as I step into a pair of her slippers. The wonderful thing is that I know she will still be with me for years to come because of the ones I have yet to begin using.
Do you have anything passed down from a parent that reminds you of them regularly or that you have that may give someone continuing memories of you?
Debra, your mother’s slippers remind me of the 17 pairs of kid gloves my Mom left behind.They’re still stored away until I find another home for them. Ah, the memories!
Memories and warmth …
Debra, nothing from my mother, but I do have a few things from my grandmother that I cherish, including her cedar hope chest, her Art Deco tulip-shaped crystal champagne glasses, and her diamond wedding band.
I bet those glasses and the Hope Chest are beautiful — and something you will continue to pass down to your children.
Debra, lovely memories. I have spent the last few months cleaning out my mother’s house. I know your mom and mine would have liked each other. Very organized, immaculate, and purses!!! We’re her fetish. This was tough to read. Xoxo my condolences.
Donnell,
Thanks. My mother also loved purses. I put them all on a bed and sent pictures to the grandchildren to let them pick their favorites. It was an interesting exercise because their ages influenced their choices – plus specific memories of times being with their grandmother when she carried a particular purse.
Smiling at your mother’s hoarding habit! My mother collected shoes, stockings, umbrellas, handkerchieves. I love having some of these around to remind me of her, but, truthfully, she is with me all the time, because I’m living in her house! A portrait of my parents presides over the family room!
Lovely memories. Brings back memories of my beautiful mother.
I have some jewelry from my mother, but my prize possession is a beautiful desk from my Grandmother. I loved all the little cubby holes and actually asked for the piece to be bequeathed to me! Not sure what she would think of the fact that I now use it as a bar, LOL! But the little drawers part came out as a section so I put it on my dresser and use it everyday and think of her.
My mom loves brooches and colorful scarves, to brighten up her outfits. I’m always happy to see her in them and whenever I see something unique, it reminds me of her. This is a great post reminding me to appreciate her every day.