Shoes-day

I am the least qualified person I know to write a post on shoes. Cali, Grace, Ande—any one of them could post on footwear. They know the secret of finishing an outfit with a pair of shoes. Whether it’s red, burnt orange, bright yellow, zebra, floral or black heels or rhinestone sandals, their feet look beautiful—especially when their little painted toes peek out. When I see what a cute pair of shoes can do to an outfit my feet send an instant message to my brain, “Don’t even think about it. I won’t carry you one more foot if you do.” So I don’t have a cute new pair of shoes to share with you today, but thanks to Cali I do have a shoe story:

Last spring we were at Abe’s graduation banquet. I wore flat shoes, of course. Cali, Grace, Ande, and my sister, Rachel, were in stylish heels, of course. First we walked across the long, beautiful plain, then we stood and visited outside of Washington Hall for several minutes, finally we marched into the banquet hall to the band playing in the loft. The hundred and fifty year old building had no air conditioning and the air was warm and charged with enthusiasm. Everyone was in full-dress uniform or evening gowns and we stood talking to each other as everyone found their assigned tables. In short, the evening was festive and fine . . . and warm . . . and long-standing.

When we finally sat down to eat, Cali quietly took off her shoes. For two hours while we toasted, prayed, visited, ate, and listened to speeches of generals and dignitaries, Cali’s feet rested . . . and swelled in the heat. After the banquet, her feet would not go back in her shoes. It was the Cinderella step-sisters with the glass slipper scenario. No way, no how were her feet going back in those cute heels. So, Cali did the thing any good nurse would do and calmed the swelling. She stuck each foot in a pitcher of ice water from our dinner tables. She looked so cute sitting with her feet propped in two silver pitchers. We were the last ones to leave the banquet—it took that long for her feet to shrink to normal. It was the first time I’ve ever gotten to stay to the end of such an event.