I recently heard a darling young lady speak at Dixie Forum on the different shoes she has worn in her life. She was in the army, and talked about her combat boots, and the friends they became.
Her next pair of shoes were black 3" pumps she wore when she became Miss Utah and traded in those combat boots for three inch heels! Quite a change. She talked about the challenges of changing from army to a lady, and how she had to practice wearing those heels!
After her time as Miss Utah, she decided to run a marathon, and pulled out her running shoes. She talked about the challenge of training, and the actual race. How those shoes became her good friends.
Then she pulled out a pair of yellow fluffy slippers. She explained that there were still many shoes that she had not yet tried on, and that she looked forward to opportunities to learn from the challenges, experiences of other shoes including these fluffy yellow slippers. She explained that these represented "Motherhood." Yes, did the hair on the back of your neck just raise? It should have! She explained that someday she looked forward to being a Mother, and that she would wear these shoes as she returned from the hospital with a new little one from heaven in her care. Wow.
My kids all knew that this was not right, they commented as soon as we got to the car that we had to get her a new pair of shoes to represent motherhood! I am so grateful that I have been fortunate enough to have worn the shoes of motherhood for a number of beautiful years! (note: tears of gratitude are flowing down my face!) I love being a MOM! It is not about fluffy, stay home, easy life slippers. On one hand, the world has to view it that way, or else why would women ever choose to be a MoM? However, I am not sure we do any favors suggesting that it will be a soft cushy, warm, fluffy, easy job! The tough realities of what Motherhood is sink in fast - as early as the first night even in the hospital when the nurses come prodding and pushing, and your new little one who you thought was going to be so joyful, fun, huggable, and perfect, either doesn't have any interest in eating, and these nurses, continue to force you to try, also perpetuating the problem that they won't release you from the hospital UNTIL that little one has a stool and a wet diaper! Whatever! They don't need food for the first three days! They can live completely off the stores in their bodies. However, in an attempt to help all mom's and protect that little one to give them a great start on life, we force feed them and make sure all body parts work correctly before they will leave the new Mom and her infant alone! Then the realities of "I am solely in charge of caring for this.... this alien of a thing they sent me home with!" "Eeekkkk!" The first night at home is better than in the hospital - hands down - but new Mom's don't exactly feel like running a marathon that first day back, and yet they now have to run the hallway, diapers, feeding, caring, answering the door, the phone, it doesn't end! It IS a beautiful time of life! But it isn't easy!
So, my quest.... What shoes represent Motherhood?
Her next pair of shoes were black 3" pumps she wore when she became Miss Utah and traded in those combat boots for three inch heels! Quite a change. She talked about the challenges of changing from army to a lady, and how she had to practice wearing those heels!
After her time as Miss Utah, she decided to run a marathon, and pulled out her running shoes. She talked about the challenge of training, and the actual race. How those shoes became her good friends.
Then she pulled out a pair of yellow fluffy slippers. She explained that there were still many shoes that she had not yet tried on, and that she looked forward to opportunities to learn from the challenges, experiences of other shoes including these fluffy yellow slippers. She explained that these represented "Motherhood." Yes, did the hair on the back of your neck just raise? It should have! She explained that someday she looked forward to being a Mother, and that she would wear these shoes as she returned from the hospital with a new little one from heaven in her care. Wow.
My kids all knew that this was not right, they commented as soon as we got to the car that we had to get her a new pair of shoes to represent motherhood! I am so grateful that I have been fortunate enough to have worn the shoes of motherhood for a number of beautiful years! (note: tears of gratitude are flowing down my face!) I love being a MOM! It is not about fluffy, stay home, easy life slippers. On one hand, the world has to view it that way, or else why would women ever choose to be a MoM? However, I am not sure we do any favors suggesting that it will be a soft cushy, warm, fluffy, easy job! The tough realities of what Motherhood is sink in fast - as early as the first night even in the hospital when the nurses come prodding and pushing, and your new little one who you thought was going to be so joyful, fun, huggable, and perfect, either doesn't have any interest in eating, and these nurses, continue to force you to try, also perpetuating the problem that they won't release you from the hospital UNTIL that little one has a stool and a wet diaper! Whatever! They don't need food for the first three days! They can live completely off the stores in their bodies. However, in an attempt to help all mom's and protect that little one to give them a great start on life, we force feed them and make sure all body parts work correctly before they will leave the new Mom and her infant alone! Then the realities of "I am solely in charge of caring for this.... this alien of a thing they sent me home with!" "Eeekkkk!" The first night at home is better than in the hospital - hands down - but new Mom's don't exactly feel like running a marathon that first day back, and yet they now have to run the hallway, diapers, feeding, caring, answering the door, the phone, it doesn't end! It IS a beautiful time of life! But it isn't easy!
So, my quest.... What shoes represent Motherhood?