Oh the Places My Feet Take Me

A friend asked me some time ago to write about what inspired me to create my photo album of "The Things My Feet Do". To be honest, I was inspired by another friend who daily chronicles her family adventures through photos. The fact is that one day, May 27, 2009, to be exact, I had my feet propped up on a pillow on the coffee table. I was busy posting a message on Facebook about our then recent move to Okinawa, Japan, where I had gone to await the birth of my twins.

As I drank coffee and glanced at my feet I began to observe the changes pregnancy brought even to my feet. I further pondered that through all the trials of my life, my feet have carried me the distance. We have traveled the world together and experienced everything from wonder and exhilaration to the mundane. It occurred to me that as we continue our walk through life that perhaps I should chronicle the places they take me, good, bad, or indifferent. My feet have walked, run, or drudged me painfully:

to my parents for comfort
to friends for commiseration
to the airport for a prom date
to the airport to visit a parent
to the doctor when I was afraid I was pregnant
to the doctor when I hoped I was pregnant
to the graveside to bury my dog
to the graveside to bury my Mammy
to the graveside to memorialize my husband
to my country's Navy for patriotism
to my children to soothe
to my mother's side for chemotherapy
to college classes for my education
to neighbors to extend my friendship
to new friends and adventures waiting to be discovered
to my husband to welcome him home from deployments
to the top of Mt. Fuji
to three continents
to the greatest of my fears to overcome them
to the surgeon to remove my deceased child
to the surgeon to remove my breasts
to the altar for prayer

Through trials and tribulations, joys and triumphs, I will continue to celebrate the gift God has given me that keeps me moving forward in faith. As Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." May He open my eyes to opportunities to capture my feet in action and may He receive all the glory for the places and times He moves me through. It's all an adventure and if I can capture only a few fleeting moments of those times, perhaps others will be compelled to see the possibility that their own lives are just as much an adventure unfolding before them.

This photo was taken June 14, 2010, on a zip-lining trip with my son with Navitat Canopy Adventures in North Carolina. This photo represents to me all the heights I will go, adventures I will embark on, and difficult paths I will travel if only I am willing. I just have to remind myself that the greatest acts of courage begin with one step.