I had an amazing privilege week before last. I took my kids shopping.
Hannah has worn out her shoes. Literally. You can see light through the sole right under her heel. She said she wondered why her feet got so wet when it rained. Now we know. Between growing and wearing everyone was in desperate need of some new duds. So we all went to the mall. And to Target. And to WalMart. And to the New Center of the Universe (huge new shopping complex south of Winter Garden). That's just our name for it - the developers gave it something nicer. Can't remember what... Anyway, we shopped ALL DAY! Those of you who know us best understand that this is not what Rigels do. We tend to limit our shopping to very carefully planned, quickly executed missions designed to get the job over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. There are a few exceptions: RK could live in JoAnn's, bookstores are for lingering, antiquing is fun anytime.
So what made this day so wonderful? These amazing young people are fun to hang out with and they are amazingly thrifty shoppers. There wasn't a bit of fussing or whining. Everyone had to wait sometimes and it was done willingly and patiently. By the end of the day we were all very TIRED! They all shopped for quality items at reasonable prices - it was great to hear some of the conversations about the high prices for seemingly already worn-out garments. I believe the Lord blessed these attitudes by providing some fun clothes at great prices. We were able to almost complete the list in one day!
During the day I noticed a few young moms with kids in tow. I remember those days. I remember when H loved to look at the fancy dresses with sequins. J once hid inside a rack of coats and watched me panic. Those days passed quickly but I think these teen years will go even faster. I don't want to hold them back but I want to savor each moment.
