Shoes

These past few weeks have flown by. With Ted home, and unsure of how long he can stay, I have managed to keep up busy with projects and things that need to be done for his entire block leave. Who knew owning a home could be this much work? :) One of the great things was that we worked together. All of the projects were projects that needed to get done or things we wanted to get done. Having him here to help with things is such a blessing.

One night as I was cleaning up before heading to bed, I got mad because I am constantly tripping over shoes. With 6 of us in the house and three of us girls, there are shoes everywhere. Since we have white carpet there is a NO SHOES allowed rule. You must take them off as you enter the house. We have 3 entrances into the house. All three are forever blocked with shoes. If anyone has a solution to this problem, please let me know. I have tried buckets and shoe racks all with little success.


As I was stomping around mad about stubbing my toe and having to look at shoes everywhere, I suddenly had a change of heart. I was walking into the kitchen and saw all the shoes lined up at the back door. My husband had taken the time to line them up, as if to organize the clutter. But in that moment I had to stop and thank the Lord for my family blessing. Every member of our family had a pair of shoes to represent them at the backdoor. My husband had the rugged work boots-just as he is a hard worker and takes pride in his work. My oldest daughter had flip flops-as if to say I don't have time for regular shoes, that would slow me down. My youngest daughter had trendy flats-she is the fashion diva of the house, even playing outside requires style. My oldest son had sneakers-ones that he has worn for about 8 months now and has officially outgrown but continues to wear because they are good for exploring the woods. My youngest son also had a pair of flip flops, while the most daring creature in our family he doesn't feel the need to be practical with a shoe choice. If he jumps from the tree house and they fall off-he just puts them back on when he hits the ground. I had a pair of sandals. I have always hated shoes. Well, let me rephrase that. I love to buy them and the way they look but I hate anything on my feet. Most days you will find me barefoot.

What I learned in those few brief moments is how each of us make up this family and how truly blessed I am to have each and every one of them in my life. It won't be long before the children start leaving the nest. Mackenzie is getting ready to drive and before we know it she will be college bound. Once she leaves it will spark a sprint to the finish for the rest of them. Where does the time go? How can our children be this old? It seems like only yesterday we were chasing Mackenzie around the corner while she learned to drive her Barbie Jeep.

I could go on and on about the memories that I have. Some days it brings tears to my eyes to think that they are growing so fast and soon will be off to find a life that they have dreamed of. I am forever thankful and blessed to be living the life I dreamt of. So when you are mad about the dishes in the sick after you just did them and then the teenagers cleaned their room, or there are Cheerios all over a floor that you just swept and mopped, OR there is a "sticky" substance that you know wasn't there ten minutes ago-use all of those things that drive you crazy as a reminder of how blessed you are to have a family that you dreamt of when you were little. I'm going to try and be less crazy and now thankful for those things. I can't guarantee that it will work every day but with God's help I know He will show me the blessings in the mess.