The Beautiful Side of Home Shopping

This is a post I read on The Other Side of 40 blog. It's a sweet, simple story about the writer's mother and her QVC jewelry. I can't help but think that years from now, my child could probably write the exact same story about me.

Yes, home shopping can be cheesy and we all like to poke fun at it, but it really can touch people's lives for the better. This is a beautiful example of that.

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your story.


Beautiful Mom

Mom loved jewelry. She loved it so much that she literally had boxes and boxes of different rings, earrings, necklaces. I think one of the reasons she bought so much jewelry is because that is one of the few things she indulged in as an adult, after spending a childhood in extreme poverty.

From stories she told, it was a hard life when she was a kid, clothes were either made out of flour sacks or else she and her brothers took whatever handouts were given to them. So if clothes were hard to come by, how much more so an extravagance like jewelry?

She really didn't start collecting jewelry until we kids were all grown. I remember her "Sarah Coventry" and "Indian Jewelry" phases. Then after that it was a store that she an my aunt frequented called Best and there they started buying gold and silver jewelry. When QVC made the scene on TV and started having the jewelry shows, Mom had found Nirvana. Her jewelry collection grew and grew and it was fun to see her get so fired up about "Black Hills Gold Night" or some other QVC special.

Leukemia didn't stop Mom from buying jewelry. QVC remained on her phone's speed dial and I remember some great moments, sitting with her and watching those shows and commenting on the different jewelry. Even after being forced into retirement by illness, she still loved to wear her jewelry and there would be times she would sit in her recliner, wearing her robe and whatever the newest jewelry was that her mailman had brought to her.

I am glad she was able to fuel her passion for jewelry because it gave so her so much pleasure and made her feel so elegant and beautiful and after a childhood of poverty and a life of many sacrifices, she deserved it. I only wish she had been more willing to get her picture taken, I would love to have a photo of her in that pink robe and all her jewels.