Autumn Delight

It’s autumn, and a used-to-be-young woman’s thoughts turn to thoughts of . . . shoes.

Really.

Have you ever had a pair of shoes that just, somehow, were the be-all, end-all of shoes as you’ve known shoes? If you are a male, and are tempted to change channels at this point, bear with me . . . Maybe it was a baseball glove, a favorite pair of jeans, etc.

I know. It sounds silly. I thought of all the scriptures I’d ever heard or read about harvest, about seasons, about blessings; but when I simply sat and pondered autumn and what it means to me, what did I think of?  Shoes.

I prayed. I asked for words of wisdom. That first fleeting thought kept coming back—the memory of a pair of

Etienne Aigner dress shoes (all the rage in the 70s and 80s!) that I acquired my senior year in high school, about thirty-six years ago, circa 1981. It nagged at me until I started writing.

They weren’t ultra-dressy. (These aren’t the exact shoes, but they’re close!) They were mid-heeled, looked good with skirts AND pants, and were comfortable to wear all day. I loved them. Literally. And they were on sale. A really GOOD sale. At a really NICE department store. Since I didn’t shop there often, I still remember that day, too.

I wore them often; in fact, I built my wardrobe around them that fall. Usually I had a pair of black “Sunday” shoes, or maybe brown ones, but THIS time? This time the color of choice was “Cordovan.”  The name of the color on the side of the box even excited me.

And all that has to do with what autumn means to me, HOW?

Almost every year when I experience that first crisp autumn day, I think of those shoes. I think of a particular day when I got off the school bus and walked the half-mile or so to the house where we lived in Southern Indiana. I was glad, for once, that my dad had forgotten to drive to the end of the winding, wooded drive to pick me up. The amazing blue of a perfect October afternoon sky, the leaves twirling as they fell—the bright reds, yellows, and oranges beating out the tired green of later-turning leaves . . . These were the things I’m sure I noticed, initially.

What I remember most, though—the memory that endures—is that I felt close to God that day. I was thankful for the beautiful sunshine, for the crisp leaves rustling underfoot, and for comfortable shoes that were pure joy in which to walk.

Silly, huh?  I hope not. I think anything that we can use as a “marker” of a time when we felt ourselves draw near to God is important. Jacob built a monument to a dream he had about angels ascending and descending up a ladder.

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” Genesis 28:16 NLT

That’s how I remember feeling that day, thirty-six years ago. I like to imagine God smiling at us when we stop to revel in a vivid dream, notice the beauty of His creation, and know that He is with us and loves us so much that he cares if our feet feel good in a pair of shoes.

Happy Monday! What has been YOUR favorite shoes of all time?