School has started. For the past two months, school supply ads have been abundant. But I have not seen any ads for back-to-school shoes. When I was growing up in Deepstep, new jeans and shoes were at the top of the list as Mother prepared for back-to-school. She always got them a tad larger than I really needed, because my feet would grow to fill those shoes during the school year. Shoes were scarce back then.
Taking care of one’s feet is essential. Melanie, our first child, needed corrective shoes. Globe Shoe Company in Savannah was the best-known establishment providing fitting for children’s corrective shoes. When Melanie’s shoes came, she stood in front of our TV and showed Mr. Rogers, “Look Mr. Rogers, I have new shoes.” She thinks that he replies, “Oh Melanie, I love them!”
Being well shod is no minor thing. Our feet, keeping us in balance and transporting us from place to place, take a severe beating. An injury to your foot can have severe consequences. George Herbert’s poem makes this dramatically clear:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
And for want of a horse, the rider was lost,
Being overtaken and slain by the enemy,
All for want of a horseshoe nail.
On a softer, and well, yes, more romantic note, here’s Kitty Kallen’s song — Little Things Mean a Lot.
Blow me a kiss from across the room
Say I look nice when I’m not
Touch my hair as you pass my chair
Little things mean a lot
Give me your arm as we cross the street
Call me at six on the dot
A line a day when you’re far away
Little things mean a lot
My dad was a truck driver, and he did his own maintenance and repairs. Each night after a day of hauling, he went over his truck to check every tiny detail. Attention to those details kept him from having major breakdowns while on the road. It seemed tedious to me then, but as an adult, I came to understand the immense value of his attention to details.
When the Israelites faced the Philistines, the Philistine’s warrior, Goliath, paced before them with loud vicious threats. But not young David, he selected a small stone, and with his slingshot, felled the giant.
©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2025