The Shoe Story

My Nannie was a great storyteller, probably one of the best that I have ever met. and man, did she have a lot of stories. Nannie raised me for a lot of my early childhood, because my single Mom worked all day. I also spent many weekends with her at her log cabin in Byhalia, Mississippi. We would eat tapioca pudding, watch Touched By An Angel, and she would tell me stories all day.


One story that I requested all of the time, that will always stick with me, is what I oh-so-eloquently named The Shoe Story. Now, I am not nearly as good of a storyteller as my great-grandmother was, but I am going to attempt to tell the story as great as she did.

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Nannie grew up in a small, middle-of-nowhere town in Southern Illinois. Her parents owned a general store that supplied a lot of the town's odds and ends. During the summer and after school, Nannie would play in the general store while her parents worked all day. She was bound to get into mischief, just like any child with nothing to keep her entertained would.  One particular day, the general store got in a pair of shoes to sell. They were beautiful leather shoes. The were perfectly crafted. They were perfect. and they were just her size. She HAD to have these shoes.
 
So Nannie went to her Dad and asked if she could please, please, please have the shoes.  He said no, because they needed to sell the shoes.  They were not a rich family by any means, so they needed every penny that they could make. He told her these shoes were meant for someone who could afford to buy them.  After much begging and pleading, her dad would not budge. He was not going to let her have those shoes.
 
Nannie decided to take matters into her own hands. She was going to have those shoes, one way or another.  It was then that she decided on her master plan.  She took some water and sand from the store and filled the shoes (which I guess brings a whole new meaning to the Irish saying "Fill your boots man"). Now he couldn't sell them, because they were ruined. 
 
Her dad saw the mess and became VERY angry. But it was true. He could not sell the shoes.  Nobody was going to buy shoes ruined by water and sand. So he gave them to my Nannie. and she got her perfect shoes.
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This has always been my favorite of Nannie's stories, but it has not been until recently that I figured out why.  First, any woman is going to love a story where in the end, the lady gets her perfect pair of shoes. Its a form of a fairytale ending.  I can relate to the experience of what it is like to see those shoes and know you love them so much that you would do almost anything to have them. I think any female would.
 
But also, it exemplifies many traits that my Nannie and I have in common. First, we are both as stubborn as they come.  We do not do well taking no for an answer. My family always jokes that Nannie went to heaven and started bossing Jesus around and telling him how to run things. We say that she told Jesus that she is going to rope off a spot for the rest of the family whenever we come to meet her, and that nobody else is allowed in the "Little Area".  As for me, I have no problem with begging, arguing, and possibly manipulating to get my way. Have I ever mentioned that I am always right? I have become better at this over the years, but the stubborn brat inside of me is still there. 
 
Also, we both have a drive and determination to get what we want in life.  In this story, it was a pair of shoes.  In life, Nannie did whatever she had to do in her life to stay happy and keep everyone else happy. I could go into a million nostalgic stories now of the many things she did for me over the years. But I will save those for a later blog post. I have the same drive and determination in my life as well. In every aspect of my life, I work hard to achieve everything that I want to do. I also work hard to make sure those around me are good as well. We are two of a kind.
 
In case you all are wondering, my Nannie passed away when I was in 8th grade. In fact, her funeral was on the day of my 8th grade graduation. Ever notice that I wear the same ring every day on my right hand middle finger? That is her engagement ring. It's a constant reminder of the great woman she was.
 
and also an inspiration for me to be the same.