goodbye, yellow brick road

Ammon started wearing these beauties when he was really walking go-ood. Running and jumping and climbing. We’ve created many a memory in these babies. They certainly bear evidence of the ravages of time. But … all good things must come to an end.

The time has come. Ammon has outgrown his beloved Vans. My how we’ll miss them. He sure looked charming in them. These were the first shoes that he responded to with “Shoes!” These shoes have taken him all over creation – on lots of adventures.

As I'm sure is very evident – I love shoes. Ammon shares that love, I'm glad to report. It is my belief that shoes hold memories. Shoes tell stories. Shoes get you from here to there – and back again. And you can see the miles on their soles.

There was once a little girl who owned a pair of clear jellies. She loved them. They were her ball shoes. Her Cinderella shoes. Her Audrey Hepburn shoes. She wore them until her feet oozed out the sides and she could wear them no more. And, to this very day, she has fond memories of those plastic shoes. I won’t tell you who this was ... just use your imagination.

Yes. Shoes help create memories. They tell stories. They spur imagination. They change lives. Like Cinderella. Or Dorothy. I guarantee while she was toe-tapping down that yellow brick road, she was contemplating all the trouble that those fab ruby reds had gotten her into. And then – eventually – helped her out of.

Needless to say – these first big-boy shoes of Ammon’s have been a treasured part of our home for quite a while. But – alas – it is time to say goodbye. Say goodbye – and welcome a new pair of shoes to the shelf. A new pair to get good and dirtied up. A new pair to hide pebbles in. A new pair to have grand adventures with.

All those things that shoes are the best for.