Little Shoes in My Hallway
There are little shoes in my hallway.
They belong to her.
They belong to the girl who has taken my heart when she smiles, that one smile that uses her whole face and brings out her dimples.
They belong to the girl who giggles uncontrollably and talks in British and Australian accents like she’s from there.
They belong to the girl who sometimes sounds 30 when she speaks because there’s a lot of life witnessed behind those eyes.
Those shoes in my hallway cover the feet of a child who has walked a long journey – one that we pray is finding a soft place to land with us.
Those shoes belong to the beautiful young girl who is making me a mama – a foster mom, a potential adoptive mom, and a mom whose arms will always strive to be a source of security in knowing that she is deeply wanted and deeply loved.
May I always remember in the days ahead – those days in which the shoes left in my hallway might feel like a nuisance – that these are the symbols of a lived-in home.
They answer a lifelong prayer that I didn’t know would ever be answered.
But God. Thank you, God, for these shoes in my hallway.
Contributing writer, Addie Sheek, Thornwell Director of Marketing and Communications