My daughter, notorious for squeezing every last drop of usability out of anything, insists that her beat-up old dress shoes are perfectly acceptable for casual strolls around campus.
Even I, the queen of frugality, disagree.
The shoes are worn thin, requiring stitching at the heels, and several places are scuffed up, appearing grey and cloudy where they used to be shiny and black.
These shoes are definitely on their last legs.
And yet my daughter, who loves them and thinks they are the most comfortable and perfect shoes, stitched them up and simply won’t let them go.
She knows she’s got something good and doesn’t take it for granted. So when needed, she does what is required to fix them and then just keeps walking.
Gifts at every level
How often in our own lives do we recognize when we’ve got something good?
Are there things we love but that we take for granted?
On the surface level these things could be food, shelter, clothes, health, education, jobs. How often do we truly stop to treasure these gifts and thank Our Lord who freely bestows them on us?
On the emotional level these things could be relationships, friendships, family ties. Of course we have people in our lives whom we dearly love, but do we take the time to tell them so? Do our daily lives get in the way of spending time with those we love?
On the spiritual level these things could be prayer time, Mass, the Sacraments, and our relationship with Our Lord.
Taking Him for granted
Do we just “go through the motions” in our spiritual lives, reciting prayers or receiving the sacraments without much thought, effort, or reverence? Do we spend time with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on a regular basis?
Or do we take Him for granted?
We cannot possibly have a relationship with Him if we don’t spend time in His presence or tend to our interior lives properly.
As in all relationships, “going through the motions” with Our Lord just won’t cut it.
Sometimes we forget just how good we’ve got it, and it is easy to allow staleness to overtake our motivation in prayer.
Additionally, the daily grind of everyday routines and tasks and responsibilities that require emotional investment can eventually wear us down just like old shoes.
Sanctify our lives
But when we remember what Our Lord has given us, what He has done for us, and what it will be like when we hopefully join Him in Heaven one day, we can lovingly sanctify every action we make.
It requires a giving of ourselves to Our Lord in a spirit of gratitude and sacrifice, as we walk through every step of each day.
“In all thy ways think on Him, and He will direct thy steps” (Proverbs 3:6).
So fix those old shoes, wherever they need stitching, and just keep on walking.
Our Lord has promised it is worth the effort.
And I, for one, believe Him.
Julianne Nornberg, mother of four children, is a teacher’s aide at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Waunakee.