In true Shawna style, my fashion sense is dead on!
My best friend lives out of town, so once a month we schedule a “ Friends day” which usually happens to fall on a weekday. Fewer people in our favorite places.
We started our day with a trip to Home Goods, while we waited for our favorite lunch spot to open. No major finds, just a ton of adult Disney stuff which is very mind-blowing to me, but that’s another story. We buy the stuff we selected and leave the store.
Next is Lunch. We spend hours catching up with all the latest drama and life lessons we have learned in the last month. Of course, we chat daily so some of it’s repetitive but still worth mentioning again.
Next is Target, ya know, Basic girl heaven. We grab Starbees as we walk in the door, hit up little bargain bins full of junk, and start to stroll through the store.
Once we got to the boys section, we were approached by the most adorable boy. I’m guessing he’s about 7-8 years old. He says, “ Excuse me, Ma’am, can you help me?” ”Of course!” I said. No one can turn down a Johnny LipNicki look. Not us. He asked which pants looked the best with the jacket. He’s holding a black jacket and navy pants.
I suggest we swap out the black jacket with a navy pinstripe jacket to match the navy pants, he loves the idea. We add a white button-up to finish the outfit. Now he’s looking at the boys’ fashion hats. We hype him up saying he can’t complete his outfit, for what we assumed was his first Valentine’s Dance, without a fedora. All the ladies in 4th grade love a man in a Fedora. We part ways and he is smiling ear to ear about his new snazzy outfit. He’s all grins. We watch him walk to the fitting room to get the whole look together.
We continued shopping, just my bestie and I. About 30 minutes pass and we hear the same sweet boy shout, “Mom there they are, the ladies who helped me choose the suit.” I’m happy to see he’s finally with an adult. I can tell mom has a ton going on. Bless her heart. Her eyes are puffy, hair is a greasy mess. Looks like bed head and a pixie cut had a baby, but she’s trying to smile through all the stress. I see the weight of the world on her shoulders.
My new 4th-grade friend runs up to me and gives me the biggest hug ever. I tell him I’m glad we have him all set for his big night. While chatting with his mom for a minute, she tells us her best friend’s mother passed away and he needed something to wear. I JUST DRESSED A 7-year-old BOY LIKE A PIMP FOR A FUNERAL!!! Not a Valentine’s Dance!!! He will be going to the funeral in a suit made for a ’90s pimp. Hat included.
It’s at that moment I knew he had a little bit of sunshine in a super dark situation. A funeral of a loved one is always sad. Heartbreaking even. But to be able to see that suit give him just the slightest bit of sunshine feels good.
I want him to know the lady at Target who helped him pick out his first suit, and wants him to remember even in the darkest of days there is always a little sunshine mixed in.
I say wear a suit. Buddy, Wear it. Wear it so confidently knowing your light is shining so bright.
I hope on the saddest of days he throws on his pimp suit and dances or plays video games while being hugged by that pimp suit. Not only will he have the memory of those strangers in Target who hyped him up. We convinced him a hat completes a suit. He will also now be the best dressed at the Funeral!!! Now, my only wish is to have added a tiny chain to add some razzle dazzle to his outfit!
Stay fly friends, and always remember every storm runs out of rain!
~ Shawna If you need help with a situation send your email in to shawnasaveme@gmail.com (Disclaimer: The VSMC column is intended for