shoes.

I arrived back in Green Bay almost exactly a month ago.  This has been the most time I've spent here since I graduated high school - and I have loved it.  My family all got together tonight for a little goodbye gathering and we just had so much fun.  Hilarious memories were relived, jokes were made, and games were played - all in the name of good family fun.  I love them.

Moving frequently for the past six years, I realize every time that I have far too many possessions that I cart around with me, from one dorm room to the next apartment.  This move to Kansas City, I have made a concerted effort to pack lightly and learn to live simply.  One small under-bed storage container of summer clothes, one suitcase of winter clothes.

It's the shoes that are hard.

It's always the thought that "well, maybe I'll need my black heels and the brown ones won't be enough!  I mean, I can't wear brown heels with a black dress!"  I feel so shallow with all these black/brown thoughts running through my head, all so apparently important.  I find myself with a small laundry basket full of shoes, heels and flip flops, flats and chacos, tennis shoes and wedges - a sign of my materialism and my nearly-failed attempt to pack lightly for this year.

I think to myself - "Why is it so hard for me to leave behind these shoes?"  The answer lies in materialism - a dependence on things instead of on God.  So often I cling to my favorites (and even my non-favorites) because I would hate to not have this oh-so-important item that I might possibly use one time in the next 12 months.  How ridiculous am I?!  While I'm talking about shoes here, the problem goes far beyond the foot-coverings.  Yes, this lies in the heart.

Tomorrow morning I'm sorting back through my shoes - praying for a healthier perspective.