I was in Macy's shopping for some rain boots (I've been looking for some for two years... Am I that picky? I guess I am...), and as I entered the shoe section I walked by a few older ladies. I saw one lady in particular, with pretty white hair, that when Mallary walked by her she got a big smile on her face. As I walked past, I heard her turn to someone she was with, "Did you see her? She was just adorable."
I proceeded to look at shoes, and eventually asked a sales lady if they had any rain boots, which of course they didn't. (SIDE STORY: Can I just add here that one of my biggest pet peeves is wet jeans from walking outside when it's raining???? I really hate it. AND it's been the rainiest year! AND, I have ruined two pairs of shoes because they got so wet, and now they make my feet stink when I wear them.) Anyway, so I was ready to leave Macy's and move on in my search, but Mallary had taken off her shoes and had been trying on high heels from the sale racks, and was currently wearing a turquoise pair of blinged out flip flops. I asked her quite a few times to take them off, and pick up all the shoes she had gotten out, and to put her shoes back on. Instead of doing that, she hid in and out of the shoe racks. I was starting to get, okay, I was already really annoyed. She came out from under a shoe rack, and the white haired lady came over to her.
"You are so adorable," she said to Mallary. She looked at me and said, "She is so adorable," and then looked at Trevan and said, "and you are very handsome." Then she added the great saying, "You have your hands full." She turned her attention back to Mallary, and said a few things, and then turned to me and said, "I would give anything for just one grandchild, just one!" She was a very sweet older lady. She leaned over to Mallary, and all of a sudden I saw a mixture of my mom and my grandmommy leaning over Mallary. The lady talked to Mallary, and then straightened Mallary's jacket and hat. I was starting to get a little emotional. Then, the lady leaned over and kissed Mallary on the cheek. Yes, I know that may sound weird to you, but it totally wasn't. As the lady stood up, I had to look away so she wouldn't see the tears that had welled up in my eyes. There are just some people in this world who radiate genuine love for others, and she was one of them just like my mother was. Watching that lady interact with my child, was like watching my own mother or grandmother. My heart ached in missing my own mother, and it ached for my children not having my mother here to dote on them like she would have. I almost told the lady she could adopt my kids as her grandchildren.
I left the shoe department listening to that lady behind me gush about my children to whomever she was with. I left the store feeling a little melancholy, and thought about that incident all day.
That afternoon as Mallary screamed in the car the whole way home from Target, (because I didn't let her buckle herself) I thought, "That lady wanted a grandchild - I should have sent Mallary home with her..."
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