Buying new shoes can be really stressful – I have BIG feet. Assistants look at me as if I’m from another planet when I ask with faint hope for size 10. And oh, the luxury of a specialist shop for large sizes!
I inherited my feet from my Dad. He took 13s. Fortunately his uncle worked in a shoe factory and made a last just for him, so he had a new pair of boots each year. But when he was captured during the war, he lost his boots in the sea. When the soldiers were marched across Crete to be transported to a PoW camp, and for much of his 4 years there, Dad went barefoot, or with pieces of cardboard tied round his feet. He didn’t talk much about his experiences as a PoW, but the few things he did say told me things weren’t exactly pleasant…. And his feet never forgot!
Dad died a few years ago, but the recent 70 years anniversary of VE Day made me recall again just what he and so many of our families went through. And it may be that you personally were involved in some way, serving in the Armed Forces or at home. Maybe you remember the happiness of VE Day and the hope for the future. Here in 2015 it’s easy to forget that we are a product of the past, and that what we do today lays down a legacy for future generations.
I’m proud of Dad and what he passed on to me (stubbornness for sure!). I’m thankful that people were prepared to go through very tough times for the sake of a brighter future.
Some words from Psalm 30: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Pray for those going through tough times now, that joy may soon come.
Blessings,
Janet
The Revd Janet Tebby
01664 474096