Out of one house and into another.
I worked at a clothing manufacturer for a year after high school because I had no idea what I wanted to be when “I grew up” and didn’t want to waste money going to college if I wasn’t sure.
It was an eye-opening experience for sure and one that I am glad to have been through. During that year, my Mom and I were having a conversation about working, She had not worked outside of the house since before we were born and was looking for a way to make some money of her own.
I suggested she try to get a job where I worked, she didn’t drive and this way, we could carpool. She was hired in the ticketing department in the warehouse and off we went, traveling 30 minutes each way together on the days she did not ride with Dad. I realize now what a gift that was, something I took for granted at the time.
But the true gift was watching my mom be the woman that she had buried for so many years. The group of women in this picture are some of those whom she worked with daily. For someone who had been a stay-at-home mom for over 25 years, and a non-driving one at that, these women provided companionship. It was fun to watch her ease into friendships that provided a balm to a lonely woman who had so much to contribute.
Driving home in the evening, I enjoyed listening to her take on the drama that happened at the shop. She always had a way of looking at things that I didn’t have access to with my limited life experience. I learned a lot at the wheel of that car, mostly admiration for the woman I was proud to call my mom.
I do not have the same background of working with our Mom that Pam does but I was part of Cape Cod Cricket Lane for a bit. I spent a summer in the Brockton warehouse before heading off to college and then a few years later, started working in the W. Bridgewater facility on the same warehouse team with my Mom until being hired for an office position shortly after.
It was that experience in the warehouse that sticks with me most. It was simply the first time I truly experienced my mother as someone other than my mother. Or at least the first time I acknowledged it.
In that environment, she was surrounded by people who simply adored her. (Though there may have been some who were not fans of hers, the adoration is what I remember most!) I was in awe of her sense of humor, her quick retorts, her laughter, and the camaraderie she had with the other women on the team. I started to see her for the woman she was – the friend – the responsible and dedicated team member – the mentor.
It wasn’t until her funeral, though, that I totally grasped the imprint she had left on those around her in the workplace. She was simply cherished, respected, loved and missed to this day.
- Did your mom work when you were young?
- What was your first job?
- Have you ever worked in a warehouse?
“You don’t choose your family.
They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
Desmond Tutu
This section is dedicated to him and all of the laughs we enjoyed over the years.
Q: What did one wall say to the other?
A: I’ll meet you at the corner.
