The Red Shoes Story

The Red Shoes is a story our mother fell in love with many years ago. It was first told about a young boy, and later someone wrote a song about it — a song called "The Red Shoes."

The little boy's mother was dying of cancer. She was sick, and it was Christmas Eve, and they said she would not live through the night. In his grief, trying to hold on to the mother he was losing, that little boy decided he had to get to the store in town for a pair of red shoes. He wanted her to walk in to see Jesus. They were her traveling shoes.

In our family, traveling shoes are part of the message we give our loved ones when they are ready to go. When our mother was younger, her Aunt Addie passed. Before she passed, we were there in the room with her, and she said, "I'm ready to go, y'all. I need my traveling shoes." Then she motioned as though she were putting them on, letting everyone know she was ready.

That is the energy we give our loved ones. It says we understand there is a moment when they are ready — when they need that traveling grace. So we say, Mama, these are your traveling shoes. We love you, and we support you.

To finish the story: the little boy did get the shoes, because his young heart was able to tell the people around him how much they mattered. And he ran all the way home with those traveling shoes for his mama, so she could go and see Jesus.

We want our mother to go and see Jesus well, because she lived well. She had a great life. When we tell you this woman of God was beautiful, we mean it — she knew no stranger. So it is only right that our mother is given the same excellence she gave in life. Yes, we want to make sure Mama has the right traveling shoes.

That is why this story is so important to us. We hope you understand our grief, and share with us that we only have them for a short time. You must love them and honor them in any way you can — in life, and in death.