THESE SHOES

I think the combination of living in the same apartment for a year, along with the feeling of fall and fresh starts, has motivated me to organize and clean the random corners of our place.  So I decided to go through my shoes the other day, and pulled out these: my worn-through Toms that I took to Jerusalem on my study abroad.  I thought, "I have probably worn these five times since I got home (because they are so beat-up), so why am I hanging onto them?" So I tossed them in my pile of shoes that were being thrown out.  And immediately the tears came, and I picked them back up and held them in my hands.  It was like a switch was turned on.  All of a sudden, I realized why I had hung onto them for the past few years (I left on my study abroad three years ago just a few days ago which seems so wild and crazy!). :( All of a sudden, memory after memory came flooding through my mind of these shoes and the places they had taken me.  My time in Jerusalem was one of the best experiences of my life.  I grew in every way, and in more ways than I thought possible.  I fell in love with this incredible city that I still call home.  I laughed, cried, sung, danced, and walked all over that city, many days in these shoes.  I realized that I had subconsciously held onto these shoes because having them meant that it was all real and not a dream.  Because having them was my link to Jerusalem.  

I had a good cry.  My cries about Jerusalem come every so often, but each time I never miss that city less.  I'm always a mess around Christmas and Easter, as G can tell you.  But it's because if I know anything in this world, it's that Jesus was in fact the Christ.  He died and was resurrected.  He lived on this earth.  He is our perfect example.  He atoned for all of our sins.  He is our Savior.  By following Him we can return to live with Him someday.  Nothing is sweeter to me than this message of good news.   In short, that's why I'm so attached to these shoes.  They took me places where I learned things about Jesus.  

To lessen the sting, I decided to take some pictures.  So pardon me for the coming cheesy shoe pics.

I mean...the leather is peeling up from the toe on the inside, the toes are peeling back from being stubbed so many times on those uneven streets, they definitely don't look very clean, and they don't smell the best if I'm being completely honest.  But they are so perfectly formed to my feet that they are still so comfy.  I put them on again and wore them around the house for a little while, until I really had to leave.  It was so unexpectedly hard to throw those shoes away, but I am a bit of a practical house keeper, so after a few days of them sitting next to the trash can, I eventually did put them in.  And the trash is long gone so there is no changing my mind now! It's okay though.  I know my shoes aren't the most important thing ever and do I really want to keep crusty old shoes in my closet for the rest of my life? And anyways, when I left the house that day I did look down and smile because these are the shoes that I had on:

My leather sandals I bought in Jerusalem!!!! Life is still good. :)

And because I am homesick for Jerusalem, I am going to share tons of photos from my time there.  I hope you love them a least a little bit. :) (and warning: this post is LONG because I wanted it to be).

THESE SHOES TOOK ME: 

 ^^ on an underground tour of the JC, on my first city night of many in West J, 

to the Garden Tomb for the first time... ^^

  

^^^ to Turkey! Namely to: Istanbul, Assos, a silk market, 

Nicea (where the Nicene Creed was established that declared God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as one), the Hagia Sophia (where Adam's shoe fit over mine), 

ferry rides from the European side of Turkey to the Asian side, 

my first mosque, Troy, and Pergamon... ^^^

^^^ to herding sheep (harder than you'd think), 

using ancient wells (notice Devin's face it cracks me up), 

grinding fresh hyssop to season our pitas, and making pitas all at the Biblical Zoo...

 to my first sukkah, the Tower of David, pizza (!), 

on the rooftops of the Old City, to Nasir's shop to buy an awesome hat and tons of scarves, 

to the Garden Tomb countless more times... ^^^

^^^ to Jordan: Madaba, Jerash (for jumping pictures), 

 to see a reenactment of chariot races and battles, 

to huge theatres, where Jacob wrestled with God, and to the river Jordan... ^^^

^^ to Princess Bosna School for Disabled Children to teach the pre-schoolers English, 

to JC women's basketball games (best idea Aubs), past ten thousand stray cats,

to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial), to synagogue, 

to the Pools of Bethesda, and to watch Marissa rock it as Joseph.... ^^

^^ to Galilee: to study HARD, to get rained on and eat fish next to the Sea of Galilee, 

to visit Dan Spring which fills the entire Jordan River and Dead Sea,

to the border of Lebanon and Israel, to Nimrod's castle... ^^

^^^ to the Herodium overlooking Bethlehem with an awesome class, to eat watermelon popsicles, 

to the tent restaurant in Bethlehem, and the Church of the Nativity, 

to a manger underneath that church, to the shepherd's fields to sing Christmas hymns... ^^^

^^ to Schindler's grave, to the Garden Tomb one last time (I went every Shabbat except a few), 

to the Austrian Hospice, to a little town to explore, to say lots of goodbye's, 

and to look at my city... ^^

These shoes took me so many places.  And I went to so many more wearing different shoes! That semester of my life was amazing.  I'm so grateful for my experiences there and for my shoes for bringing them to my mind again.  (If anyone made it this far, I'm seriously impressed.  I do this blog for myself (& Gordy), so that's why I chose to do a long post.) I LOVE JERUSALEM!