So Much More than Shoes

It never fails in our family, when it is time for church, we are always running 5 minutes behind. Such was the case this morning. I was at my parents' house trying to shove on Bereket's little pink "baby doll" shoes so we could get out the door. The first shoe just would not go on...and Bereket looked at me with those pleading eyes that simply said, "Mommy, I know you love these little shoes so very much, but the last time I squeezed into them..was the last time."   I said, "O.K. Baby" and reached into her safari travel bag for another pair.

But I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Those little pink and white shoes were the first shoes I had bought for Bereket. An emergency purchase at the consignment shop just a few days before we made the flight to Ethiopia to bring her home. I remember how darling she looked in them when she wore them with her pretty sundress to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.  I remember on our long trip home, how after 17 hours in the airplane, we put those little shoes on her and she took off like a bullet through the halls of Dulles Airport. It was her first big space to run and she giggled like crazy seeing the things her body could do for the very first time! How I loved the little "clip, clop" of those shoes through the airport terminals.  Now, those precious shoes will be put in a storage bin for some other little girl to wear. Will she or her mother know that these special shoes have been half way around the world and back...that these shoes were worn by a little girl starting a brand new life in such a different place?

Bereket waiting in our room in Addis Ababa for our Embassy Appointment. We had been a family for just a few hours.

Now, this isn't the first time I have been emotional over a tiny pair of shoes. Another precious pair went to the storage bin a few months ago. These shoes were bought long before we had even heard the name, "Bereket."  These were Terefech's little cloth shoes. So adorable and covered with flowers, I fell in love with them at the Carter's Outlet store on our first shopping spree for our first child. Every time I think of those sweet little shoes, I sadly think of the little baby we never got to hold. But I am thankful that sweet Bereket was able to wear them if only for a month or so.  After writing this, I am going down to the storage bin and pulling those little shoes out.  They will be staying in the family... a reminder of the girl I love so much and the one I hope to meet in heaven one day.