It seems to me, and I understand that I don’t visit several churches on Easter Sunday morning, that Easter Sunday finery has ramped down somewhat since I was growing up. We always got a new dress, and when I was really young, there was a hat involved. And there were gloves.
The preschool kids in my Sunday School class do come pretty dressed up on Easter Sunday, which is why we do NOT paint on that day. But there hasn’t been a hat or a glove in years. Really different from my Easter Outfit experience.
And I remember buying shoes. We’d go to a shoe store, look around, maybe find a pair or two that we liked. Then we’d sit down and wait for a shoe salesman to come help us. He (and it was always “he” when I was growing up) would ask us what we were looking for, and we’d point out the shoe(s) that we’d like to try. Or, we might just say, “white dress shoes, please.” Then he would sit down on his shoe salesman’s stool, and put his shoe measuring device on the slanted part of the stool. We’d take off our shoe and he would guide our foot onto the measurer, putting our heel tightly at the back. He would press our toes down and the lines would show him our shoe size
-
- They measured our feet with these things.
-
- A shoe salesman sat on a stool like this.
-
- You put your foot snugly in the back and they read the number on the line by your big toe.
Then he would bring out shoes for us to try on. We’d walk around on the carpeted shoe area and try out each pair. We might buy a pair, or we might not. Maybe we would visit another shoe store, or a department store with a good shoe selection. We felt special and cared-about, and new shoes smelled so good. They were clean and perfect. And since they were Sunday shoes and only got worn once a week and to the occasional party, they stayed looking pretty good.
-
- My first pair of Easter shoes
-
- The next year I seem to *really* like my Easter shoes
-
- Third Easter-white shoes! But I really wanted shoes without straps, like big girls wore.
-
- I got my big girl shoes for Easter number 6.
Every new year brought changes in footwear:
-
- Age 11-old enough to forgo the socks
-
- Age 12-Instead of white or black shoes, I got GOLD shoes.
-
- Wow!! I’m 13 years old and, for Easter, I had high heels. They were PINK
-
- My shoes didn’t make it into my 16th Easter picture. But they are exactly like JoAnne’s. They were great, because you could change the ribbon to match what you’re wearing.
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Isaiah 52:7 (New Revised Standard Version)
This is one of my dad’s favorite verses. He taught Sunday School for more than 40 years, and I think he thought of himself as a messenger who announced peace, brought good news, announced salvation, and said, “Your God reigns.” In his black shoes.
I always think of Daddy, too, when I hear that verse. Our matching shoes were the first ones I thought of, too. But I would have also mentioned the golden egg that you got at Lewis Shoe Store when you pulled the goose’s neck. Not only did it have a treat inside, there was a slot on the top so it turned in to a bank ! 🙂