TJMaxx : A Woman's Shopping Haven

Why do women who love shopping love to go to a place called TJMaxx? Why not? There's nothing better than browsing through an endless array of stuff, and if you are a serious shopper who wants to get a good deal, it is always exciting when you find a good bargain somewhere in the stack of discounted stuff. I am not crazy about brand names, but I know that some designer stuff really matters in terms of the quality of their product. They have to take care of their name, thus, you can always count on a good product from the leading designer brands. Right? Call it crazy, but you can just drop me off a TJMaxx outlet, leave me there for a day and I am perfectly happy.

Men just don't get it. Shopping to women is like hunting to men. Call it a sport if you like. And what better way to go hunting than being in a huge maze of discounted designer goodies? There is always that thrill of finding something of good quality and paying less than half of the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). (I should get a TJMaxx gift C for writing this, huh?) Do you agree with me? But just don't go overboard. Remember, you are there to hunt for a good bargain and not to splurge, though if you have the money to do it, shop to your heart's content.

I hardly even go to the mall to shop. I don't get the same excitement that I experience when I shop at discount stores. I don't like discount stores in general, but a few of them make it to my list like TJMaxx, Marshalls, Home Goods. The rest of the discount stores, I could care less if they stay in business or not.

What else, aside from getting a good bargain attracts me to go shopping to TJMaxx? Simple. Most of the time, you get stuff that are one-of-a-kind. Getting a bag that doesn't look like it's been mass-produced for seventy-five million people is awesome. It gives you the feeling of exclusivity in terms of ownership, unless of course, you bump into somebody who is sporting the same apparel or accessory. So even if I love shopping, I wouldn't be as excited if I were to shop in mall outlet stores.

I know that the stuff that I get from TJMaxx will not end up an untimely demise inside my forgotten collection of unused stuff. They will of course serve a good deal of wear & tear before I pass them on to a worthy recipient.

And for as long as TJMaxx is there, my shopping days will always be exciting.

Child, Behold Thy Mother

Mother's day will be celebrated this weekend. Many businesses of course are making such a huge business out of this celebration dedicated for all mothers out there. In fact, you might notice that your mailbox is bombarded with endless e-mails on savings for mother's day gifts.

In this material world, it's so easy to forget the more valuable things in life. We somehow think that intangible things can be made tangible. How much do you love your mother? That will be precisely converted to how grand is your material gift to your mother on mother's day.

Anyways, what is it like to be a mother? How do you put into words the virtue of that woman who gave her all to breathe life into your existence?

Let me share a sad story to you that happened in the Philippines, and try to gauge the depth, and the width, and the height, if indeed, it can be measured, of what it is like to be a mother.

In a remote suburb in the Philippines, there was this poor widow with a daughter to raise. She knew that she had no material wealth that she can impart to her only child if anything should happen to her. Poor as she was, she felt that she was still rich because she had the greatest treasure in the world--her daughter. She does laundry for a living, and with the meager income that she earned she tried her best to provide for her only daughter.

The time came for her daughter to go to college. The daughter wanted to enroll in a prestigious university in Cebu. The mother wanted so bad to give what her daughter wished but she just couldn't afford it, so she begged her daughter to set aside one year before going to college so she can save enough. The daughter who was influenced by her socialite friends, cursed her mother and yelled all sorts of insults and disrespect to the woman who loved her so dearly. All the mother could do was shed her tears because she knew that even if her daughter will chop her body to pieces, she will still love her.

Then the daughter left for Cebu without her mother's knowledge. As soon as the mother found out, she begged everyone she knew to lend her some cash so she can go to Cebu and fetch her daughter.

Thankfully, she was able to collect enough money and so she went to Cebu. When she found her daughter, she tearfully asked her, on bended knees, to come home with her because she couldn't imagine the horrible life that's waiting for her daughter in the big city like Cebu without the monetary support that she needed. The daughter refused at first, but the mother with all humility and with all sorrow pleaded for her daughter to come home. Still the daughter didn't want to come home. Then the mother spoke to her daughter in tears, "You know I love you so much. You are my only treasure. You are my whole life. If I leave you here, it would break my heart to see you go through the hard life in this city knowing that I will not be able to support your needs. Just come home with me. I promise, next semester, you will be enrolling in college here in Cebu. If I have to work all night and all day, just so you can have the life that you want , I'll do it for you because I love you so much. I promise that I will work ten times as hard so I can save enough money to send you to college. Just please come home with me now."

And somehow the mother's words melted the daughter's heart. They immediately took the next boat back to their island. But little did they know, that a big storm was brewing in the horizon as they cruise the open seas.

The boat was overcome by big waves, heavy rain and strong winds. It capsized. The daughter panicked and cried hysterically, but the mother managed to grab one life jacket amidst the chaos of all passengers trying to grab a life jacket to save themselves from drowning.

As they braved the stormy seas, the mother held on to her daughter, took off her life jacket and put it on her daughter and said, "My precious daughter, wear this life jacket so you will be safe. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. I'll see you tomorrow by the port area in our hometown. Always remember, I love you!"

The mother then planted a loving kiss on her daughter's forehead and a big crushing wave immediately swept them apart.

The daughter survived the tragedy and she held on to her mother's promise that they will see each other again by the port area. The daughter tearfully searched for her mother, begging her to keep her promise.

She searched for her mother endlessly. She wandered hopelessly hoping to find her mother in the crowd of spectators and survivors. She kept on looking for her mother. Then finally she found her. What a grand reunion it would have been if her mother wasn't one of the lifeless bodies sitting in a pile of corpses in one room by the port area. And it was tragic. Her mother didn't keep her promise. How dare she left her daughter who now realized that indeed she loved her mother so much.

It was too late. Her mother can no longer feel her daughter's longing for her. Her mother can no longer hear the sorrowful remorse of her daughter. Her mother can no longer move her lips to say "I have forgiven you", to her daughter. Her mother is gone. Did you hear me?

To all of you out there, honor and respect your mother. Your mother is the one person that you can hurt over and over again but will never stop from loving you.

This mother's day, behold your mother. Make her feel how much she is appreciated. Let her know that you love her before it's too late.