I hadn't developed my own sense of style yet, but this emulation of my mother was the beginning of it. I was a mere adolescent, and surviving middle school was my goal.
Finally, my body was the same size as hers, so we were clothes-sharing like sisters, shopping together with my aunt and swapping things in and out of each other's closets. There were certain pieces I was absolutely tied to, like that light blue and white striped T-shirt which I wore through the Winter even though I froze.
And then there was the ABC sweater. Now that was a big deal.
In the few times that Mom wasn't wearing it and it wasn't in the hamper, I got to wear it to school. I can remember gripping my pen carefully, knowing that one careless drop would mean an ink stain on this beloved sweater. I wore it on non-gym days so that I wouldn't have to part with it and risk someone stealing it from my gym locker during the 30 minutes that I attempted kickball.
Yes, that is how my little middle school mind thought of it. You can see that I am much the same type of dorky person today. :)
Mom found the ABC sweater the other day, and I recalled it fondly. Neither one of us could bear to wear it, nor part with it in our donation to Goodwill. It would have to stay behind and I would have to memorialize it with a picture and a loving blog post. And now I have. :)
