Thursday, March 02, 2006

Do shoes end up all over your house? I've been to many homes where you remove your shoes at the door (I usually do at home). This is not a bad idea. It keeps the floors clean, and the shoes out of the way... well except for the "clogged" entryway.

I remember times I was negotiating my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and stepped on a rogue shoe and nearly fell down. Or you're watching tv, the lights are off, you get up to get a snack, and you skate to the splits, only you don't know how to do the splits.

I like shoes. I have several pair. Most of them match. I struggle to know what ones to leave behind when I go on trips. I want to be prepared for everything, so sometimes I end up with more than my wife or daughters.

Whitney is dating a guy who likes shoes. He has more than many women I know, and he's proud of them. I don't like the black and white ones.

You've heard stories of BJ's shoes (the stinky ones he brought home from Peru, only to throw them away). Well when we returned from our vacation this past summer, for some reason, BJ put all of his shoes away (out of character). Well they didn't stay put away. He did not get them back out, but somehow, they have found their way to different parts of the house. His clogs are beside me at the computer, and his flip-flops are in our bedroom. The house doesn't seem right without a bit of shoe clutter.

Deanna began wearing his clogs after the hospital stay. He wore them there. His feet were much smaller than mine, but I occasionally wear his flip-flops just to feel close. As I say that, it sounds kind of pathetic, but you do what you can to get through the days, sometimes.

His other shoes remain neatly organized in his closet. Dress blacks, cleats, wrestling shoes, sandals, the old converse knock-offs he picked up in Peru, and others.

Though he struggled at times to keep things as neat as we would have liked, he was improving, and for some reason, he straightened things up before he left us.

I remember reading about another man who did that. He put things in order too. He restored his friend Peter, had a final meal with his other close friends, and left them with a Helper. Perhaps BJ was just emulating his Savior.

Though they are small in size, I thought his shoes would be difficult to fill. I praise God that so many are continuing to serve, and some are serving for the first time. They may never wear his shoes, but they serve his Lord, and their feet are beautiful too, when they bring good news!

dad

9 Comments:

At 8:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beautiful! It will be one year on 3/9 that my dear mother-in-law went home to be with our Lord. Oh how we miss her and want her near. We never know which day our time on this earth will end. I can only imagine what she is seeing now, sitting at His beautiful feet along with all of our family and friends who have gone before and now she knows BJ. I am blessed every day by this site. I forwarded some of your blog from yesterday to my sister-in-law and it struck her heart and she responded to God's invitation to attend the Great Banquet this fall. Please pray that the Lord will touch her heart and she will accept His unconditional love and receive Him into her heart.

In Christ,
Shelly
Noblesville, IN

 
At 11:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dad, thank you for washing our feet again.
Mark
Hudson, OH

 
At 1:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hope you all are doing well. you guys r still in my prayers. you don't know me but i feel like i know you all really well... its not even funny. just checking in on you and i hope you have a great day!
god bless,

 
At 4:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey parents--

you did NOT have to remind me of his feet stench again! AHH! it was pretty bad.. but just one more thing you didn't think you'd miss until it was gone.. weird tho. but true.

Love you guys.. sorry my comments aren't always super deep and life changing.. but i love to read this.. i do almost every single day.

Praying always
~kristin

 
At 9:50 PM, Blogger Ashley Reagan said...

Thanks so much for todays entry. I really enjoyed reading it. I love you guys so much! I wish I could hug each of you right now. :)

Ashley Dawn

 
At 1:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

OH MY!! I LOVE SHOES TOO!! THEY ARE MY FAVORITE TYPE OF CLOTHING TO WEAR! THAT WAS AWESOME WHAT IT SAID ABOUT JESUS HELPING HIS FRIEND PETER. I TRY TO HELP MY FRIENDS IN TIMES OF NEED, AND IT ALWAYS MAKE ME FEEL VERY SPECIAL. THIS WEBSITE IS SO INSPIRATIONAL. I USED TO NOT BE CLOSE TO THE LORD AT ALL, BUT AFTER READING A COUPLE OF THESE ENTRIES AND COMMENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT JESUS, IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT MY LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH MY CHRIST. THATNK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING A WEBSITE SUCH AS THIS. YOU ARE GREAT PEOPLE

 
At 2:55 PM, Blogger Matthew Celestine said...

Removing shoes at the door is such a sensible thing to do.

 
At 2:55 PM, Blogger Matthew Celestine said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 11:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If my dogs could only clean, paint, repair, cook and well, you know, I'd be in heaven.

Good ideas here that will help me.

Thanks,
best dog food recipes

 

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