Granddad's Shoes

One of Tobin's favorite things to do these days is find a shoe that's lying around, put it on his foot, then scoot around with it. Once in a great while, he'll put two shoes on, but usually it's just one. I haven't been observant enough to notice whether it's always on his right foot, but I know it is sometimes, based on the pictures below.

Although we don't have a standard in our house that people must take their shoes off when they enter, Josiah, David, and I tend to do that (and sometimes Jeff). It's just so much easier to relax when barefoot! :) We (usually) put our shoes neatly on the steps to take upstairs later and put away in our closets; but when there are shoes on the steps that Tobin can reach, it doesn't take him long to scoot over, reach out to choose one, and put it on his foot. He does this all the time.

Yesterday he found one of Jeff's dress shoes and put it on, as seen below...

If you look closely, you can see that there is actually a hole in the bottom layer of the sole of this shoe. This is clearly not a new shoe; let me tell you how old it is. This pair of shoes belonged to my Granddad Winters; and after he died (on Sept. 11, 1997, just 3 months after my wedding), the family decided that they should be given to Jeff. He wore them when we lived in San Diego; and, when we moved to Israel, he packed them and took them along, wearing them in Israel and in other Middle Eastern countries that we visited. When we returned to the States, they came along, too, and Jeff wore them most recently on Sunday when he preached for our church (a great sermon, by the way...I LOVE to listen to him!). I think it's safe to say that my granddad, a simple farmer from southern Pennsylvania who didn't have the opportunity to travel very far, never could have imagined where those shoes would go.In the summer of 2007, we visited the little country church where my grandparents are buried; and we found their gravestone and showed it to our boys.I love this picture of Jeff wearing Granddad's shoes by his grave. Two fine men have worn those shoes...

...and yesterday, a third carried on the tradition.

When my mother saw the shoe Tobin was wearing, she said, "I wish Daddy could see this."

Maybe he can, Mother. Maybe he can.