Get Your Shoes On

“But, I don’t want to wear those shoes! Can I wear my pink ones or my tennis shoes?” The wail was familiar, and so was the response, “Just get something on your feet, now!”

Which ones should I choose?

A million shoes scattered in the closet (Yes, a slight exaggeration, but under stress, who cares?); too many choices. How often have you had needless exchanges in your home about which shoes to put on for school or church or play?

How many is too many?

When I look in my closet, I realize these exchanges are not just about my children and grandchildren. I see dozens of shoes. Granted, I haven’t worn some for over a year; a pair or two are of a specific color or style for just the right outfit; still others simply don’t feel as comfortable as my well-worn everyday favorites. And besides, I can justify it, “My feet aren’t growing anymore!” Flip flops, dress sandals, hiking books, canvas, leather, and slippers.

How did this concern come to light? While researching charities with my students, I came across an interesting project: The Shoe That Grows. The “shoe” is the first innovation taken on by an intriguing organization, Because International. My interest was piqued when I read,

                  “Because International believes in PRACTICAL COMPASSION. We want to listen to make their daily lives better.

                   And then we help turn those ideas into a reality. Basically, we try to make things better by making better things.”

I dug deeper. I googled and followed internet threads. Liking what I saw, but wanting to be sure, I sent an email and quickly received a return phone call from the founder and executive director, Kenton Lee.

There’s something about the way God wired all of us. For me, it seems I become passionate about specific causes. In elementary school, I eagerly divided small change from chores and birthday money into three self-decorated containers: tithe, missions, me. I enjoyed watching them slowly fill. I loved knowing I would have my very own gifts to donate for the Lottie Moon or Annie Armstrong offerings at my church. By high school, I sewed clothing, and with the help of my parents, personally delivered gifts for my “adopted” friend at the Missouri Baptist Children’s home in Bridgeton, MO.  Since then the charity opportunities have become more complex and exciting: ongoing World Vision sponsorships and multiple timely causes. For each effort, the passion runs deep. I pray. I research. I pray some more. In time, I know what to do.

I quickly recognized the old familiar tug as I spoke with Kenton. I was hooked. What drew me? My research revealed Because International’s real-life innovative process: see a need, talk to the people in need, don’t try to reinvent the wheel, and create a product to solve a real problem. The first project for Because International was The Shoe That Grows. Lee and his team saw a need. Children around the world, especially in Third World countries, need shoes. Lee began to design a shoe that would expand as a child grows. After several unsuccessful attempts, his team turned to a shoe development team, Proof of Concept.  The Shoe That Grows became a reality.

“How can I help, Kenton? Count me in!” I was thrilled to discover a practical way: Wear A Pair in April. “Please include my granddaughter and me.” I wondered if this real-life learning experience was possible for my students. Within days, I checked with my principal and designed a lesson plan.

The next day I opened class with a simple direction: “If your parents said, ‘Put something on your feet, how many possibilities do you have?’ Count everything that fits – whether you like them or not.” I listed all the answers in a column: 11, 4, 7, 6, 8, 3, etc. When the list was complete, students calculated the average number of shoes for one child. (We had about 7 pairs per child.)

I continued, “Now, think. How many children are in your home? How many shoes are in your house? What happens when you outgrow a pair or decide you simply don’t like them any longer? What if your new ball team has different colors? The Smart Board came in handy as we watched Kenton Lee’s CBS interview on YouTube. I asked, “Can you imagine not having a pair of shoes? Can you imagine finally getting a pair only to outgrow them? Would you be willing to cut out the toes of your shoes to continue wearing them longer?” Since our class of gifted students involves research, children checked out medical sites about the problems of going barefoot: disease, transmission of parasites, fungus, and wounds which won’t heal – to name a few. I proposed that the children could do something if they wished. With parent permission, they could participate in the “Wear a Pair in April” campaign and tell people the story. One student asked, “Could we also fill a duffle?” So we agreed to try. Our main goal is to tell the story of The Shoe That Grows. Our secondary goal is to “Fill a Duffle.”

Perhaps when people hear about our research, they will want to donate the funds needed to give 50 pairs of shoes to children in need. We agreed to set up a booth at our Business Fair in April. Isn’t life all about learning and applying lessons? In my class, we’ll focus on doing research to learn, but in real-life we become part of the research by experience. Hopefully, my elementary students will experience a life lesson which carries on for years to come.

Learn more about my efforts with The Shoe That Grows, our classroom year-long business unit, or projects in upcoming features. Feel free to contact me.

Wild Things

Eryn Lynum’s sparkling eyes and broad smile captivated me. I wanted to sit at the same table with this soon-to-be-published author. I wanted to bask in her enthusiasm and soak in a bit of her knowledge. I hoped to discover the secret of a successful website. How did she finally break through as a writer? What happened to cause her to say to herself, “I am a writer. I can do this.”

Here I sat, having lunch at a conference put on by  Heart of America Christian Writers Network. Stories of other writers bore a familiar resemblance to mine. Eager to learn, I felt as though I were in college again. Did I dare acknowledge that God truly had a plan for the words wafting through my brain? Could God really want me to venture out in obedience? Of course, I knew the answer was a resounding, “Yes.” This wasn’t the first time I’d felt compelled to pursue a life-long dream. Excitement grew. Perhaps I could call myself a “real” writer. I listened. I took notes. I noticed.

“…and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are…”

During that weekend of risk-taking, I connected with Max in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. 1  Oh, how I can relate even today! Nights and days; weeks and years – sailing in and out of writing; learning more; writing snippets of fun and memories for family members; designing creative units for children and teachers; completing camp devotions or Sunday school curriculum; knowing a message was inside ready to be shared; even feeling a “calling.” In and out of time. Days and nights. Weeks and years. Yet, never allowing myself to be called “Author”; never as Max might say, being the king of the rumpus!

Unfortunately, I’d always allow the wild things to control. My wild things? Doubting ability, Comparisons, Busyness, Lack of time — And then, the elephant in the door — the massive trumpeting ogre: perfectionism laced with technology. Oh, I was skilled in using computers. Unfortunately, creating a website was time-consuming as it presented a fresh new learning curve. I became easily frustrated at taking precious time from writing to design a website of worth. The website roared its terrible roar, gnashed its terrible teeth, rolled its terrible eyes, and showed its terrible claws until, like Max, I said, “BE STILL!” And I tamed it with my magic trick of staring.

In reality, my magic trick really possessed no magic at all. Like Max, I stared directly at those monsters and commanded, “Be Still.” Fearful of attending a conference of “real” writers, (one of those monsters in disguise) I had prayed for weeks, “God show my why I’m even going. Show me what you want me to get from this.”

So here I sat. At a table with Eryn Lynum, a petite young mother of three boys. Her book, 936 Pennies, was to be published soon. Her new success intrigued me; I listened closely. She spoke of her website and its value to her as a writer. I ventured my disdain and frustration as I revealed my floundering attempts. Sure I had a “site,” but it wasn’t good enough.  The very technology which blurred my eyes and discouraged my creativity inspired life in Eryn. Before I knew it, Eryn — mother, wife, author, and technologically-savvy lady –asked, “Would you like me to help you with your website? I love doing websites!” Would I ever!!  In no time, I saw an answer to one of my prayers. We agreed to meet within the month.

It’s interesting how life unfolds. God certainly does work in mysterious ways to teach us patience, restraint, and rest in Him. Eryn had some bumps in her schedule. After our initial visit, we put the website aside for a while. In fact, I wasn’t sure it would happen. My 1975 copy of Catherine Marshall’s Adventures in Prayer2 is dog-eared and marked. I opened the book to read two well-known chapters: “The Prayer that Makes Dreams Come True” and “The Prayer of Relinquishment.” Good reminders pointing to the God’s truths; I needed to momentarily take a step back and wait.

Journal, January 11, 2016 … I read I Corinthians 2:1-5 and then I wrote:

My dream of writing – Your dream for me to write for you

I’m scared. I procrastinate. Like Paul, I don’t have eloquence. I feel so inadequate.

So, while I wait for it to take shape, I’ll choose to just get to know you better.

I want readers – someday – to see your Holy Spirit power.

I approach writing with fear and trembling.

I have no wise and persuasive words.

I do have you.

I let God know I was willing to give up the website, give up the publications, give up the eloquence. Why? Because “I do have you, God, and that is enough.”

January 21 – Just ten days later, Eryn writes in an email, “I have good news—I would like to take on your website 🙂 My husband and I have been working on building up our web design and marketing business, and creating websites for writers (and speakers and bloggers) is something we want to move into. I still have all of our notes from our meeting …”

Patience, waiting, and yes, even relinquishing a dream, allowed me to work with a great team. Bread Box Creative is the brainchild of Eryn and Grayson Lynum.  Who knows, perhaps those weeks of prayer was just the ticket for getting their dream to fruition, too.

“…the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth

and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws

but Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye…”

“Goodbye, Wild Things.” Of course, there will be days of procrastination. Sure, there will be moments of uncertainty and busyness. Peacefully, for now, I’ve said, “Good-bye,” to one major wild thing.

Thank you, Eryn.

1Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.

2Marshall, Catherine. Adventures in Prayer. Old Tappan: Chosen Books, 1975.