Lucy's little shoes

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a mommy waited – a little impatiently – for a beautiful baby to belong to her family. She worked and worked (along with her husband) to fill out papers, keep the house sparkling clean for social workers and keep the budget carefully so that when her little baby came home that mommy would be ready.

It took a long long time to find that little baby. Along the way the mommy stayed close to many people who helped her wait and pray for the day her baby would arrive. One of those people was her husband, baby’s daddy. Some of those people were her family, sisters and brothers and moms and dads who supported and listened in tough times.

Some of those people were her friends. Most of these friends were also neighbors to this eager mommy, and several of them went together to Washington on the mommy’s first ever “girl’s weekend”.

A girls’ weekend is a dream for a mommy like this. The invitation to enjoy the company of amazing women and to have the priviledge of listening and talking (this mommy does more than her fair share of the talking!) amongst them is such a gift. These women in particular had become some of the mommy’s heroes. Women who were strong and yet meek, capable and enjoyable, with large and wise souls and lots of laughter in their daily living. This mommy loved having a girl’s weekend with these girlfriends!

Seattle Washington is known for many things, not the least of which it’s upscale shopping. A beautiful coastline, finiky weather, fabulous architecture, all of these things were part of our trip. But the shopping brought this mommy these little tiny shoes. A treasure and a symbol of the baby that was coming. My favorite souvenier and my secret treasure.

This mommy saved those shoes in a place where she could see them. One day her little darling would wear them. One day a baby this small and this dainty would dawn those little shoes and be carried off in them; to church, on errands, anywhere her mommy went. And that was the key; when baby wore the shoes it would mean she was home, with mommy, where she belonged.

This little story definitely has a happily ever after. Baby did come home, more than a year after the little shoes were bought with my girlfriends in the shop in Seattle. After a move to a new city, more paperwork, more budgeting and more waiting, Lucy came to be a Graham, and then she became big enough to wear her little shoes. She’s been wearing them ever since, and recently I noticed that in the wearing they are getting worn out…it happens, I know. But I have such a silly connection to these little shoes because of where I was, and more purposefully because of who I was with, when they were purchased for Lucy.

How endlessly grateful I am that the friendships deepened during that trip to Seattle haven’t worn through just yet. Instead they remain strong, and they have beauty and character beyond any darling pair of baby shoes. These friendships have lasted the test of time and distance. These friends have been generous and true to me, have encouraged and strengthened me, even guided me in crucial times.

There is a saying that goes, “I hope my life is like the souls of my shoes, worn out in the service of others…” Truly this saying rings true for these friends; they have worn out their lives serving me through their friendship as Lucy has worn through her shoes.