Thursday, September 20, 2007

Sacred.


Joshua has been in desperate need of new Crocs for quite some time now. I am not a big fan of Crocs, so Erik and I bought him a pair of Merrells. But, unfortunately, they weren't to his liking. He still wanted to wear his old Crocs. So, last week I broke down and bought him a new pair of Crocs.

I had trouble finding them. I finally found a pair at a locally owned department store. A nice lady helped us find the Crocs we needed and then proceeded to checked us out. Joshua wanted to wear his new Crocs out, so the nice lady cut the tags off and helped him into his new shoes. She picked up his old Crocs and carelessly said, "Would you like me to throw these away for you?"

Umm. Excuse me. Did I hear her correctly? "Throw these away?"

Umm. No. Or, at least not right here, right now.

I wanted to tell her that these were Joshua's first pair of Crocs. They have traveled many miles on his feet. He has worn the soles slick with play. They are torn and tattered. Memories flood my heart when I look at them. Take for instance, the missing back strap on the left Croc. . . His Aunt's dog ate that strap while Joshua, completely unaware, swam in her pool.
Beloved shoes.
Joshua has worn them nearly every day for the past year and a half. They have been on many adventures, won several front-yard races, and pushed the gas on Joshua's beloved John Deere Gator. They have trod the mountains of Tennessee, too many zoos to count, and Orlando's Magic Kingdom. He met his little brother, Elijah, for the first time in those Crocs.
Joshua loves his old Crocs, and I do to. I will throw them away, but not right away. I'm just not ready to let go, just yet. . . They deserve a special going away party or burial ceremony of sorts. These aren't your ordinary pair of shoes. These are Joshua's Crocs, his favorite shoes.
I wanted to tell her all that, but I held my tongue.
And, I simply said, "No, thank you. They are sacred."

6 comments:

Jackson said...

You could be seeing Bo's Crocs in a blog soon!! They will be retiring due to his growing feet... I'll be holding onto them for Max...poor 4th child... getting hand me down, worn out Crocs... let's call them "vintage" that's hip!!!

Kelly said...

I can relate. My daughter had a favorite pair of tennies that she wore everywhere when she was 4 and 5. They even carried her through a creek, and after that were affectionately dubbed her "stinkies".
I still have them hanging in the shoe bag in the hall closet, 4 years later... just not ready to let them go yet. They hold such precious memories of where those tiny feet took her, and all the growing she did that year.

Jenn @ Knee-Deep in Munchkin Land said...

I can totally relate to this post. Whenever I go to clean out a closet, I get incredibly misty-eyed and sentimental over favorite articles of clothing. *Sigh* Its just so hard watching our children grow up. Beautiful post Erin!

Tamara said...

That is so sweet. I have this thing I do with my kids things...I keep them...then I go through them and if I can remember them in the item/whateve...I keep it. If I can't remember, it ceases to have meaning for me so I let it go...I love seeing my children's baby things/kid things...it's real...it's my life!

Girl Raised in the South said...

When Dan hit 16 and finally got his driver's license his old Huffy bike was hung on the garage wall, and it stayed there for years. We just couldnt bear to get rid of it, knowing the childhood memories that had been gained on that little bike. I so related with this story of a little boy's crocs. xooxo

Becky said...

I love that post. How sweet! : )


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Hi! I live in a sweet country home overflowing with love and laughter. I have been blessed to journey these days beside a man that I love, respect, and admire. He is my soul-mate and best friend. Together we are seeking to raise our seven children to be lovers of God, to be wise and discerning, and to be all that our sweet God created them to be.



 

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