Unlike my mother, I am not a shoe connoisseur. She has always been very particular about her shoes. First, they have to perfectly match what she is wearing. Second, they have to fit the setting she will be in. For instance, there were certain shoes that were only fit for church or the funeral home. Third, they always had to be clean and in pristine condition.
She tried to pass these shoe practices on the me when I was a girl. It didn’t work. First, if my shoes matched each other, then that was close enough. Second, if I was in a hurry to go outside, I really didn’t care what I slipped on. Third, I don’t know how many times I had to wipe the soles of my shoes in the grass to get dog squish off of the bottom of them. Plus, when it rained, the mud puddles called my name. Come on now, what’s a little tomboy to do?
Then came my 7th birthday. My grandparents gave me a pair of red, shiny dress slippers with a strap that ran across the top of the foot. I have no memory of what the other gifts from my family were. As for my new red shoes, I thought they were the most beautiful pair of shoes I had ever seen. I immediately put them on and proclaimed: “I’m going to wear them every day!” And I did. I even wore dresses to school so I could show them off to my friends. By the way, I made certain not to step into squish or mud puddles when I wore them. They were probably the most consistently clean pair of shoes I ever owned. Including now.
Then a dreadful thing happened. I began to grow out of my beautiful red shoes. They became tighter and tighter on my feet. My mother tried to take them away, but ever time she did, I cried and begged her not to. Yes, you read that correctly, I cried. She relented a couple of more times. Finally, she took them away, but by that time, the damage had been done. I had corns on the side of each of my small toes.
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 12:15. (KJV)
I was so upset about not being able to wear my shoes anymore, that I didn’t listen to what my mother was trying to tell me. Unfortunately, I didn’t stop to think that my mom loved me and had my best interest at heart. So, the next time you are offered advice, keep an open mind and pray about it.
As I was writing this, I realized the red pair of dress shoes I have now aren’t shiny. I need to fix that. Anybody know of any shoes on sale? Let me know.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.