It's amazing how tiny moments can last a lifetime. Simple, seemingly insignificant moments that become monumental as we age. Monumental in that these tiny moments help to form the person a child will become. And so it was, a tiny moment for a tiny child that became a monumental, life-changing moment.
My grandmother was a matron of what was named "The Old Ladies' Home" in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The Old Ladies' Home was a beautiful 1881 three-story Second Empire Mansard style mansion, now a popular bed and breakfast facing the Ohio River. As matron, she managed the home, caring for approximately twenty elderly ladies.
Up at 4:15 a.m. every morning, she cooked, by scratch, individual breakfasts for each lady depending on their dietary needs. Once breakfast was finished, she cleared the massive dining table and began planning for lunch, then dinner, etc. She tended to their every need. My grandmother loved all her ladies, and they loved her. As did I. As a child I spent every moment possible with my grandmother at The Old Ladies' Home tending to and entertaining the ladies.
Though my grandmother lived at the Ladies' Home during the week, at least once a month, we would spend the weekend at her own home.
It was during one of those weekends that my grandmother announced that we needed to go shopping. And off we went.
After our usual stop at the corner drugstore for my favorite strawberry ice cream, we made our way to Woolworth's in the square. Upon entering, my hand gripped tightly in hers, we climbed the steep staircase to the clothing department.
Once upstairs, my grandmother approached a sales woman and stated she needed to buy shoes for a "lady."
Even though I was a child, barely four years old, I can still recall the conversation vividly. I remember thinking one of the ladies at the Ladies' home needed a new pair of shoes and that was why we had gone shopping.
Much to my surprise, at that moment, the lady reached down, hurled me into the air, and sat me down on a tall table. She placed my foot on a fancy metal measuring gadget, sliding the little lever until it touched the top of my toe. She then shuffled off behind a wall of curtains. Within moments she reappeared holding a box. She opened the lid, revealing the most beautiful pair of shiny black patent leather shoes, with lovely silver buckles, which she proceeded to place on my feet.
It was at that moment that I realized..it was ME! I was the LADY! The lady in her new, beautiful shiny patent leather shoes. I felt so special.
It was truly a magical memory in the making for this tiny little girl, and undoubtedly the very moment I fell in love with shoes! I mean, what LADY doesn't love shoes?
~Lacy Gray
