thoughtful thursday

while home last week, one of the tasks i completed for mom and dad was to polish their shoes.  (this is the first entry into the memory book i created yesterday for whimsical wednesday.) dad still has the same box of shoe shining materials he had when i was a little girl; the different tins of polish, the polish applicators, the brushes, the buffing cloths, the saddle soap and various other products for keeping shoes looking their best.

as i polished shoes during that afternoon, i remembered, growing up, my older brothers taking on the serious task of polishing dad's work and dress shoes.  they worked hard at this job because they wanted to please as well as the fact that dad paid for their services.  before payment was rendered, the shoes were inspected.  dad held up one shoe and then the other, examining them carefully before declaring that one of my brothers did a good job and earned their pay.  i watched, never participating, but wishing i could polish dad's shoes.  then one day dad asked me to polish his shoes!  not my two older brothers!  me!  i was proud and nervous at the same time.  dad provided a lesson in how to polish his shoes.  i knew it because of watching my brothers, however, i was very attentive to dad's instruction because it had to be right.  it was the first time i was allowed to participate in a ritual that had, until now, belonged to dad and his sons.

as i polished shoes last thursday afternoon, it felt like it felt the first time i polished dad's shoes.  i selected the correct color of polish for the different shoes, used the corresponding brush applicators for applying the polish to the shoes, allowed the shoes to "rest" prior to buffing them with the various brushes and then using the buffing cloths to finish the shine.  the polish aroma was just as it was when i was a child as was the sound of the brush being rubbed across the shoes.  i loved those sensations then and i love them now.  the task of polishing mom and dad's shoes no doubt was very helpful to them.  the memory the task of polishing mom and dad's shoes elicited for me was more than worth that afternoon's efforts.