Shoe Stories

There is a saying that you should not judge someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. Every person has a story, and so do the shoes they wear. If you’ve seen me at any Zion gathering, then you know that I will chase somebody down to take a picture of their shoes. Yes. I have a shoe story. It started when I was in High School. I bought my first pair of heels. Candies. Now, if you don’t know, Candies were revolutionary. You didn’t even have to wear pantyhose with them. They even said it in the commercial. I have never liked pantyhose, so this was an invitation to freedom! Of course, Candies went out of style, but I experimented with other types of high-heel shoes in the ensuing years. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my freshman year of high school.

In 1983, I joined the US Army. I didn’t know it at the time, but running on concrete, along with weight gain (which caused me to double in size) and arthritis, left me with very little cartilage in my knees and the need for a replacement of both. I haven’t had the replacement, but I have lost weight. I still can’t wear heels, so I take pictures of other women’s shoes. I celebrate their creativity of choice and pairing. I would be remiss if I did not give Missionary Supervisor Rev. Felica Thompson a special shout-out. Not only was she generous about slowing down long enough to let me take a pic of her shoes, but she could seriously be a shoe model because she knew how to pose those feet, you hear me!!!

As the pictures will attest, she is not the only one to wear beautiful shoes. I saw some fly shoes on some fly Supervisors, first ladies, missionaries, and lay folks alike.

My favorite shoes are sparkly. If you know anything about me, you know I don’t look like what I’ve been through. The enemy of our souls tried to extinguish my shine before I knew I had it…but God! I wear sparkly shoes to remind myself that God has a purpose for my life that requires me to shine, but when I shine, I never forget that I am not the source of the shine. The Source of the Shine is the Light of the World.

That’s my shoe story. What’s yours? Share your shoe stories with me. I’d love to hear them.

Entertainment_arts@starofzion.org