Nothing to do with weddings.
I have really been missing my Mom lately. I mean, I miss her all the time, but grief goes in waves. Sometimes the thoughts are happy and uplifting like every time I get the weekly People magazine out of my mailbox I immediately smile. She loved flipping through the pages, seeing what all the stars were doing and wearing. She actually talked about it, too. “Did you see what Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammy’s”? After she passed, I mysteriously started receiving the magazine weekly and I never subscribed.
Sometimes the thoughts pull at your heart strings. It can be the same memories that made you smile that make you long for your loved one to be here. There are times when I see a stack of the same magazines on my counter or wherever and my eyes water. What I wouldn’t give to have a celebrity conversation with her now.
So, in this post I’d like to also talk about Princess Diana. I think that she was my Mom’s ultimate favorite person of royalty. My Mom was sort of a monarchy admirer. She was fascinated with everything to do with The Royal Family. Not just the times of Princess Diana, but prior reigns – especially Queen Elizabeth I (married her country, wow) and King Henry VIII. Any reign that was momentous (although what one wasn’t?), scandalous, and down right fascinating.
I think my Mom loved Princes Diana because of her elegance, grace and classic style. More than all that, she loved her because Diana was not the typical princess. She was admired by all – The People’s Princess. She did things SHE wanted to do. She became known for being defiant – although I really don’t think she went out of her way to “break the rules”, it was just her nature to not be fitted into a mold. She was honest and true to herself.
This brings me back to my Mom. She was definitely strong willed, strong minded and stubborn. No one could tell her what to do without getting an attitude. From the stories I’ve heard of her growing up, she was a rebel, acted out anytime she was told she couldn’t so something. Funny, she carried that trait with her throughout her life. Not so much the teenager defiance stage, but the determination to do things her way.
When she became ill, she still had this will. She fought through it for years and years and never let her illness define her. I took for granted that she would get better with today’s medical technology. She left this world way too early and with lots of bleeding hearts. Drastic, I know, but that’s how I feel. It’s been over three years, but sometimes feels like it was yesterday. Then other times, it feels like she’s been gone far longer than that.
Oh boy, this got a lot more personal than I intended it to. BUT, I don’t retract, no…I just fix the grammar. Words that just come freely as you type should not be edited out in my opinion – at least for a blog purpose. If I was writing for the New York Times, different story.
Sooooo….back to my original point about Princess Diana and my Mom. Every single time I see a picture of the Princess I see my Mom in her. My Mom dressed very classy, very timeless. Talbot’s was her go to store. She definitely spent time in Harrods, too, when she was in London. Then there were the weekly trips to Macy’s. Funny, she ALWAYS had stuff in her trunk to return. Of course, there was the yard sale shopping. That is the difference between a princess and my Mom. Yard Sales. A princess likely wouldn’t be spotted at a yard sale. However, we’re not royalty. We are humble. Then again, so was Princess Diana.
The ultimate royal wedding is a whole new story. Perhaps a future post. I remember as a kid crowding around the tiny TV in the corner of the living room….. that long walk and long train….OMG! That is what I remember, and I remember my Mom loving it.
Some photos of Princess Diana and my Mom. Do you think she looks like her?
