New Shoes!

Today, I begin a new journey. I will take my first steps in a new volunteer position for All Children's Hospital Guild. This has weighed heavy on my heart for a long, long time. I do not know if I am ready to take on this challenge, but I can equate it best to brand new shoes . . .

My lady friends will understand that when you see a pair of new heels that are just screaming to go home with you, you throw caution to the wind and take out your credit card. I say credit card, because it is usually these 'screaming shoes' that are just a tad bit more expensive than the funds we might normally carry with us.

These shoes are typically sparkly or bedazzled with something fun that caught your eye to begin with. Lately, I've been drawn to straps and zippers! Uh Oh! The heels are normally far too high to actually walk around in all day, so you just pray that whatever function you wear them to is a seated event. You hope that the toe is not so pointed that your feet remain in that shape for a good ten minutes after removing the shoes. You pray that the stiletto heals don't get caught in a storm grate, the carpet, or make you look like a drunken sailor as you attempt to navigate a badly paved parking lot. And, as fantastic as your legs may appear while wearing them, you know that the balls of your feet will be aching for at least the next three days. Not sized correctly, we've all suffered through the blisters on the backs of our ankles and none of that matters when your friends say, "Great shoes!"

That is my hope for the upcoming year and my responsibilities in regard to All Children's Hospital. I know there's a good chance I will trip, fall, be battered and bruised. I may make incorrect decisions and stumble several times. I may look the part while playing it, but have to heal for a while afterward. However . . . when the end result is that I've accomplished something positive for those children and that hospital and when someone says, "Good job!" it will have been worth the agony of those 'new shoes'.

I love new shoes . . .