Barbie Shoes Are Painful

It came to my attention this morning that Barbie is now 50 years old. Yes, Barbie hit the shelves on March 9, 1959. She cost a mere $3.00. That may not seem like much, but in 1959, my mother's grocery bill for a week was not much more than $3.00. When I was a child, I wondered why Barbie's feet were shaped in such a manner. I have decided that if my feet were shaped like hers, then they wouldn't hurt so much after a few hours in Barbie shoes like mine.



I've only worn them a couple of times and shhhh....even parked in the "parents of preschoolers" parking lot at church just so I didn't have to walk so far. There was an empty space and I was late...so tell me that you wouldn't have done the same if you were wearing these.



Notice the single strap across the toes...nothing to really hold them on except the grip of my toes. They are hard to keep on! Barbie's shoes were too, come to think of it.

I did not receive a Barbie for my birthday 1959 like so many other young girls did. My parents probably thought I was too young (they were right), it was a pricey gift (they were right), but what I did receive is worth so much more (they were right).

We made a move from one small North Texas town to another small North Texas town that sits in the shadow of a large North Texas City on my birthday in 1959. I spent the day with my aunt and cousins while our furniture and all of our belongings were transported to a new place to call home. It was on that day that I received this...



I love the pictures in this small Bible....Noah standing at the bow of the ark, David slinging stones at the giant, Goliath, and Jesus healing the sick. I even took the opportunity to add some of my own artwork, or maybe that was my little brother that did that....yeah...that's the story.



I collect old Bibles....my favorites.... my great-grandfather's teaching Bible and my dad's Bible filled with his comments. It is no surprise that this one is still around except for the fact that I sent it with my son as he left on an adventure when he was 19 years old. It was a Barbie shoe painful adventure for me...and a learning experience for both of us.

It was so hard to say goodbye to my child especially when I wasn't sure that he was being wise. But what do you do when you are out of control....you pray, pray, and (let them know you) pray for them. I sent that precious Bible wrapped in a gold ribbon with him...telling him to read John 3:16 if he needed help, was hungry, or was lonely. I also told him that I wanted that Bible to be returned...it was only on loan. I sent a piece of me with him and I knew that if I received it back he had returned also. I was in pain. Yep, it felt like those Barbie shoes. Holding on with a strong toe-grip, I wanted to park close to my son.

Over the next few months while my son adventured his way to the ski slopes of Colorado to find work (and enjoy the snow), I had to give up my worry and pray. Don't you do that, too? When all else fails, pray! Not only was my son on an adventure, so was I. I was being stretched (painful, oh, how painful) and required to depend on God to take care of him. My firstborn was now in His hands.

The call came one evening...he was out of money, he was hungry, and all alone. I almost cried...well, I did cry! My son had no money, was hungry and lonely. I asked him if he had read my Bible...read John 3:16. He replied that he didn't think that would do much good, but he agreed to return to his condo and do as I said. Later that evening he called again to say "Thank you".

Before I tied the gold ribbon, I placed a $20 bill in the pages of that tiny Bible. I had read a story in Reader's Digest long before the birth of my firstborn about a mom that had sent her son off to college with a Bible bearing a $10 bill hidden in its pages (I thought about inflation and decided on $20). So I take no credit for the idea, but I was prompted by the memory of that story. God has ways of using unlikely situations to do His work and take away my pain.

My son returned home, I got my Bible back, and I learned a valuable lesson....Pray, Pray, and (let them know you) Pray for them!

If the shoe fits, wear it well!