My Christmas Shoes...

It is no secret...I forget something on EVERY trip we go on! Whether it is diapers or clothes or whatever, you can always count on the fact that I will either forget to bring something or I will leave something where ever we go (just ask my mom how many packages she has mailed me with forgotten things in the last few years).
I think my brain just goes into overdrive and it just cannot process the needs of all 5 of us!
This last trip to Shreveport was no different. Only this time it was Christmas day and I forgot my shoes to wear to church the next morning. Even Walmart was closed so there didn't seem to be an easy fix.

I remember later that Maria (my sweet mother-in-law that went to be with Jesus in February) and I used to wear the same size. I was hesitant to ask but I really didn't have a choice. John was gracious and allowed me to come in and choose a pair of her shoes to wear.

There was nothing fancy about the shoes. They were just black heels...a little taller than I am used to...but just normal shoes really. I slipped them on and practiced walking in them and I was on my way.

It wasn't until we were sitting in church and I looked down that I thought about the shoes I was wearing. I wondered how many times sweet Re served her sweet husband in those heels. She was always so loving towards him and thrived on being able to do things for him. I wondered how many people she encouraged in those shoes. She was so quick to make phone calls or send cards even when she herself was the one who was sick and in pain. I wondered how many times she had carried a sweet grand baby while wearing those shoes...she loved all her kiddos but she adored her grand kids and they were and still are absolutely crazy about her. The list could go on and on...she served customers, and worshipped in those shoes. She spoke gently and kindly in those shoes. She loved deeply and spoke wisely in those shoes.

It really gives new meaning to the phase "big shoes to fill". What a legacy this sweet woman has left for us!