Today I had to say goodbye to these dear shoes. They’ve
served me well, in Australia, Japan, and the USA. They’ve been my constant
winter companion (when the socks and sandals just won’t cut it) for several
years now. They’ve taken me places, hikes up mountains, exploring wildernesses,
and sitting by fires as cozy slippers. Some call them my old man carpet shoes,
some call them the best Japanese op shop buy ever (okay, so maybe I’m the only
one who calls them those things), but many a person would recognize me by these
shoes.
But, all good things must come to an end, including a great
pair of shoes. When they’re worn completely through, and the rain and snow
comes through, they just don’t help my feet quite as much as they used to. But
really, today wasn’t sad because of my shoes. In fact, in the light of everything
my shoes were hardly thought of. The sadness and bittersweetness comes when it’s
time to part from dear family. When the reality of living far away becomes more
and more real. When the realization that with the way travel is these days, and
the unpredictedness of our lives means we don’t know when we’ll see them next.
Some words of a song come to mind as we think about traveling:
How can I help to make you understand why I do what I do, why I must travel to
a distant land, far from the home I love. Once I was happily content to be,
where I was, as I was, close to the people who were close to me, here in the
home I love…. And the sadness of saying goodbye is dampened some by the excitement
that is sure to come. Excitement of being together with my husband and our baby
in Frankston, the place that feels so much like home. Serving the church
together there, setting up our new home, and using it for hospitality. Seeking
to use the gifts and abilities that God has given us both to serve him in this
place we both feel called to be. So, as we say goodbye to family, to friends,
to this place that has been our first home as a married couple, and yes, even
leave shoes behind, we look forward to how God will use us on this adventure
together.
