Being Mommy

Have you ever heard of magic shoes?

Well, a little girl names Cecilia had a pair of magic shoes! She got them as a present from her grandpa for her 4th birthday.

“Take good care of these shoes, Cecilia,” said her grandpa. “They used to belong to your grandma when she was just a little girl, and guess what? They’re magic!”

“Magic? How can they be magic?” Cecilia asked him.

“Because,” he said, “when you put them on and then take a nap, you will dream of wonderful places that you have never seen before, and have amazing adventures that you never imagined you could!”

“Silly grandpa!” said Cecilia. But even as she went on to the next birthday present, somewhere in the back of her head she wondered if the shoes really could be magic. Grandpa didn’t argue with her, and her birthday party continued until late into the night when everyone finally fell asleep. The shoes sat quietly in their box until the next day.

After breakfast the next morning, Cecilia took her bath like she usually did, played with the dog for awhile, and eventually made her way back over to the shoes. She sat down on the floor to look at them more closely. They were light brown, made of leather, and very soft. Little blue beads were woven into the edges, and a small design was imprinted on the front: a bird in flight. They were very pretty.

She tried them on - they fit perfectly! Her toes wiggled inside the soft shoes and she giggled. They didn’t even feel like shoes. They felt more like socks. She stretched her legs out in front of her and looked at her feet. She waved her feet from side to side. The shoes made a soft whump when her feet hit each other.

She stood up. She wiggled her toes again. The shoes still felt like socks. She walked around the room. She decided they felt even better than socks. They felt like walking on clouds! She jumped around a little and skipped across the floor. The shoes were so comfortable that she felt happier just wearing them!

Just then her mom called to clean up her room. Mom didn’t really like her wearing shoes in the house, but she figured if Grandpa gave them to her, maybe it would be okay. She skipped to her room and started cleaning. Being so happy made it easy to clean her room quickly. She sang a happy song and she put her toys in her toybox, and threw her dirtly clothes in the laundry basket.

Once she was done cleaning her room, she went to find her mother. On the way downstairs a small yawn softly came out of her mouth.

“Mom,” Cecilia said when she found her, “Grandma’s shoes are so soft and comfortable! Can I wear them around the house all the time?”

“That’s okay as long as you don’t wear them outside so the bottoms don’t get dirty,” her mother replied. Cecilia lifted one foot and looked at the bottom of the shoe. Shiny, smooth, and clean. She check the other shoe and found it was clean too. Great!

“You look tired, Cecilia,” her mom said, “why don’t you lay down for awhile?”

Although she did want to play fetch with the dog, she was feeling a little sleepy. Maybe just a quick nap, she thought, and then I can play some more. She climbed up onto the couch and closed her eyes. As she was falling asleep, it occured to her that she still had the shoes on, and she remembered her Grandpa’s words.

“When you put them on and then take a nap, you will dream of wonderful places that you have never seen before, and have amazing adventures that you never imagined you could,” he had said. She smiled, and wondered if maybe, just maybe, it were true…