Being Jewish in Hawaii

Of course I am thinking about my mom this weekend. Her yahrzeit is today. 14 years. I noticed that I last wrote about her seven years ago and that I mentioned the significance of the number seven in Jewish traditions. Here we are, another seven years later, and I decided to write about her again. Interesting. 

I texted my sisters yesterday to suggest that this year we honor our mother’s memory in a very special way.

I usually go to Friday night services and say Kaddish and light a yahrzeit candle. I did not skip those traditions. However, I wanted to do something more meaningful.

When I texted my sisters about the plan, they immediately embraced the idea and we have been engaging all weekend. In honor of our mother’s memory, this weekend Gloria’s Girls are shopping. Yes, shopping. Gloria loved to shop, mostly for clothes and purses. As a matter of fact, the day before she became suddenly ill and slipped into a coma, that is exactly what she was doing. She went out to lunch with her girlfriends and then went shopping and bought a new purse. 

For whatever reason, shopping brought her pleasure. 

Some of my earliest memories include going with her to the Buena Park Mall with its anchor stores Sears and May Company on either end. JCPenney, Newberries and a few other stores sat in between. But mostly we went to Sears. It was practical. 

Both her shopping habits and her wardrobe evolved over the years. Once all three Gershun Girls left for college and grew independent, she no longer had three daughters to clothe and could focus on herself. After I moved out in 1980, my parents sold the house and bought a condo in Brea where my mom discovered the Brea Mall and its anchor store: Nordstrom. She was thrilled and regularly delighted in the options and her acquisitions. At this point she refined her wardrobe and accessories, putting together outfits for Fall, Spring, and Summer. We lived in Southern California, so she skipped Winter. I can remember her telling me on the phone, with excitement in her voice, that the new Fall clothes were on the racks and she was looking forward to shopping for the season. 

After my father passed away, my mom moved to Overland Park, Kansas to be near my oldest sister and  took her fashionable threads to an entirely new level. Nearby were Nordstrom and Dillards and Chicos. My mom had just the right thing to wear for every occasion, including a statement necklace and a purse that matched her shoes. Let’s just say that she was well put together.  

Although my sisters and I are each a  reflection of our mother in our own unique ways, leisure shopping is a shared connection that we have with each other and with her. It sure beats doing the dishes.

So that was the plan this weekend. We delineated some of the parameters of the shopping extravaganza. My oldest sister recently had hip surgery and is recovering at home. It was clear that there will be no recreational shopping at the mall for her. So we decided that online shopping totally counts in the honoring of our mother department. We also agreed that using a coupon enhances the honor. Gloria loved a good coupon or a sale. Once we clarified the guidelines we all committed to our duties with gusto. 

This is another trait that we Gershun Girls share with our mother: enthusiasm for and dedication to achieving a goal. 

I am pleased to report that the plan was successful. Not only did we accomplish the objective of honoring the memory of Gloria Gershun, whose memory is a great blessing for all three of us, we found comfort in our shopping and texting and remembering our mother together on the 14th anniversary of her passing. Not to mention the new outfit and sunglasses that I will be wearing this summer in true Gloria fashion.