"My Words Have Power"
College and Thrift Shopping
She was studying to get her Learner's Permit before she graduated from High School, and I was cheering her on. Sure I was proud to see her pursing driving privileges at 16 years old. My Son knew what my expectations were and he obtained his Learners Permit and was able to drive to New Orleans, when he was her age. I knew she could do it too. By the time she was attending college, she would be totally independent. The months flew by, and Jasmine came to stay with me, as she pursued her degree in Crime Scene Technology. Not sure if her profession had any thing to do with how much she pried in my life but she was always all in my business. She said, Auntie you are always dodging calls from your boyfriend and you just are not yourself lately. I have been tuned out and preoccupied lately because I am not pleased with Shawn, I mumbled. He cancelled a date with me. Before you say anything, I'm warning you, do not ask any questions, I exclaimed! Without saying a word, my Great Niece opened her arms and started walking toward me. I embraced her, and I felt as if I had some support.
Though, she had a curfew, my parenting style was flexible. When I had extra money, or if there was an event, we went shopping in Viera. I wanted to show her a different way of life, and tried passing on shopping skills for a budget pocketbook. The markdowns are there, but you have to look through and mix and match, to put an outfit together. I also told her not to count out the Thrift Stores. I had learned the value of Thrift Shopping in my twenties and now I was passing on the knowledge to my Great Niece. Thrift Shopping made me feel like I knew a secret, only a few smart people took advantage of. I liked the feeling of finding brand names with the tags still in place. When we were not out shopping or attending an event, we watched Hulu while I listened to her plan her future, saying I want to be wealthy. Then, I questioned whether or not, my how to be thrifty lessons were sinking in. If not, I shared what I believed would help her to live better anyway. I knew I had to pull myself together, when I overheard her speaking on the phone saying, This is some guy who none of our family has even met. What, no! That is not going to ever be me! I would be feeling daters remorse right now, picking who, what, and where I want to spend my time. Though, I should be focusing on my course work, I feel like I am back in my school days with homecoming drama. She won't talk to me, but she needs to ...
I am an Author of a Children's Book entitled: "Visiting Granny In Mississippi" (Read my Book Summary)