It was just an ordinary run to the dump — some old boards, bags of garbage, and a bit of Spring cleaning. I tossed away a broken laundry basket full of old worn out shoes that once belonged to my children. But it stopped me in my tracks. As I studied those shoes, I remembered taking my eight kids to the store, buying them boots or runners, the smiles on their faces with a new pair of footwear. They played football on the front lawn, ran through the mud, climbed snowbanks or milked a cow in those shoes.

But now all but one of those kids have left home. The shoes that carried my loved ones no longer have purpose. So there I stood at the landfill, tears in my eyes as raw memories raced through my mind. I took a deep breath and sighed, “I’m growin’ old.”Continue reading →