The Shoes, sole for the soul

We had moved to Ottawa from the Maritimes in 1996. It was the first sense of freedom I had experienced in many years. John and I are alone.We are staying in a hotel, the Business Inn on Elgin St for the next three months while our house is under construction. Daily I walked to meet John at the Rideau center. On one of those days , a women approached me . She would have been in her sixties. She began walking with me and talking. We were walkie/talkie. She asked where I had purchased my shoes, she loved them. She was so smitten , I took them off and handed them to her. The look on her face was priceless. You can’t pay for that kind of joy. The look on John’s face when he saw me dressed to the nines without shoes was hilarious. In one swoop I received two gifts, a smile on Margaret’s face and a chuckle from the man I love.

Forward to 2004. I had taken a small group to Bali. We are at a stopover in Singapore on our way home . We decided to take a bus tour into the city . Our flight is scheduled to leave the next morning.
We were the only ones on the bus tour except for an elderly couple. I had on a pair of sparkle blue sandals . The lady commented on them and asked how she could purchase them. They were from Bali and I was not sure if she could. I took them off and handed them to her. I had the best time in Singapore barefoot. Once again, the gift was the freedom to give . The liberty to walk and feel the sole of my feet on sacred ground in another country. There is something holy about giving the shoes on your feet away. It allows us to touch the soul of someone. We do not give to receive but it appears to be the bonus . Giving away something that you truly love is one of the greatest gifts we can offer anyone. Today, challenge yourself, give something away that you value. “Let the Spirit of freedom have you”