Jackets, Shoes and Little Girls

I need to start this post by letting you in on a personal situation regarding my relationship with my husband.  Several years ago I had to put hubby on jacket detention.  It was either this or something much more drastic such as a family intervention was going to be necessary.  The kids really were reluctant to get this involved so I took action into my own hands and just did it.  It was hard on all of us for a while, but hubby was strong and resisted.  I've been so proud of him, especially in January when he walks through Dillards and sees all the nice jackets on sale.

That brings us to a situation that I am ashamed to even to bring up, but feel that I must as part of my healing process.  Hubby has put me on shoe detention.  Actually, he advised that I had to get rid of a pair for every new pair I bought.  Now ladies, I know I don't have to tell you how utterly unfair and unjust this mandate is.  I don't have any shoes that I don't want!

I tried to explain to him that my love for and need for many shoes goes back much further and is so much more inbred than his like of jackets.  I shared with him that my mother loved shoes long before I was born.  I explained that she painfully taught her daughters how to shop for shoes.  She proudly told us that if we could only afford one pair of shoes, they should be quality.  (The fact that we could only afford two pairs a year and so they had to last probably had something to do with this philosophy.)  I chose not to mention this fact.

My plea grew in intensity by sharing that my favorite aunt was the most stylish person I knew and that she also loved beautiful shoes and taught me to buy "good" and stylish shoes.  She had a huge walk-in closet and allowed if not encouraged my spending time there trying on and modeling her wonderful shoes.

By this time, I was shedding a few tears and attempting to control the whimper in my voice.  Too much can completely undo a persuasive presentation.

I continued.  I shared with hubby, whom I might add appeared to be losing interest by this time, that when I was a little girl and had to go with my mom to her lady's church meetings, that I entertained myself by studying the shoes of the ladies in attendance.  Afterward, I could identify every woman present by the shoes she was wearing.  I must also confide to you that I was very judgmental about many of those ladies solely based on the style and condition of her shoes.  I thought to have shared this with hubby, might not have been in my best interest at the time.

Well, at this point, hubby seemed to have forgotten the whole point of the conversation, so I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction by recalling how much I missed my mom and how much I appreciated all the time she had spent with me and what a great mom she was to us girls, and on and on.

Let's just say that now when hubby sees me wear a pair of shoes he thinks he hasn't seen before, I sweetly remind him that it's part of my heritage.  By the way, I am beginning to suggest that he might want to think about updating his coat selection.

All this thought about shoes has made me think about what our shoes say about us.  My elegant aunt's selection told me I wanted to be just like her.  My mother's were much more practical but lovely non the less until her later years when she was relegated to less attractive shoes in order to accommodate a brace insert.  It broke her heart and ours as well.

My walking shoes show that I am an avid walker and have not taken the time to replace them.

 These are my favorite personality shoes.  I don't wear them often but they do come out when I need that certain punch - either dressy or casual.

These break all my mother's rules.  They are the cheapest shoes I've ever bought but I love them.  They just make my feet happy and that can't help but be reflected on my face.

Remember, my last blog about the Princess Blitz?  Samantha's dad took pictures of the little girl's shoes.  I think they tell their own story.  I'll let you decide.

 So, what do your shoes say about you?

Regardless of the shoes we wear, the Bible does tell us how we are to walk:
"Walk by faith, not by sight; walk by the spirit; walk in a manner worthy; walk with love; walk as children of light; WALK WITH HIM!

As we carefully select the shoes we wear to enhance an outfit, may we more carefully select with Whom we will walk!  Walk as the true Princess you are!!