Three Generations of Style

This weekend I came back home to spend some time with my family. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a couple of friends' weddings coming up this weekend and next. Being the type of person who plans way ahead, I decided I'd go ahead and go shopping for a new dress for these two occasions. After convincing my mom to head to the nearby mall with me (which didn't take much convincing at all), I decided that I also wished for my grandma, who happens to live with my mom, to go with us. First of all, I knew it would be really good for her to get out of the house for a short outing and secondly, I must admit that I wanted her fashion opinion as well. These two women who accompanied me to the mall were the same ones who took me shopping as a toddler and laughed at my repetition of phrases such as "navy" and "on sale." Let's just say that the core of my appreciation for nice clothing and style, I inherited honestly from my mother and grandmother. Anyways, back to the story. So off to the store we headed and wound our way through various departments to grouping of racks upon racks of sparkly, shiny, and glitzy dresses. I understand why many males avoid shopping like the plague. Honestly, it can be overwhelming to sift through so many options, but I was ready for the challenge. With a handful of dresses gathered from the masses, I headed for the dressing room to try on and display each choice. After collecting the opinions of my mom, grandma, and the saleslady who jumped in, we decided upon just the right one. I was pleased as punch to have so quickly found one that I was happy with and we headed back home. Such a simple and quick shopping trip turned out to be a wonderful outing for three generations of women with style.

I wonder how many girls have the opportunity for such a simple but special outing. Sure, choosing a dress seems a bit trivial considering the big things in life, but it saddens me that so many people my age fail to seek out the advice and wisdom of our parents and grandparents. Growing up, my brother and I always laughed at our parents' attempts to impart their knowledge to us in what we laughingly referred to as LL's or life lessons. Nonetheless, my parents' and grandparents' wise words about saving and spending wisely, work, love, friendships, and such topics have proven to ingrain themselves into my being and help guide me down a steady path. I like to blaze my own trail, but it's wonderful to have the voice of Mom, Dad, and each of my grandparents whispering in my memory wise advice. Because they have been there, they wish to pass it on. Find your way. Do you thing. But while you're at it, don't forget to look back and seek wisdom from previous generations in the family who know and love you best.