Look &/or listen as my friend & photo manager colleague Faith Van Wart takes us on a trip down memory river in her wooden shoe.

Like Wynken, Blynken & Nod this tale connects her & us to the enchanting country of Holland and to our childhood.

Faith received this wooden shoe as a graduation gift from her kindergarten teachers who owned the nursery school she attended 50 years ago.

She has carried it with her all these years. This Thing that matters.

She jokes that she got only one shoe but it was the “right” one & ponders who received the left.

She lost track of The Kleins during her elementary & high school years, but in her early 20’s she reached out again.

She, perhaps inspired by them so many moons before, had decided to visit Holland.

She wanted to let them know of her plans & they were thrilled to have reconnected!

They were touched that she still had the shoe and excited that she would visit their hometowns of Amsterdam & Rotterdam.

The three kept in touch with birthday calls & Christmas cards until the Kleins passed away.

This simple wooden shoe holds a deep affection & perhaps Faith’s ashes someday.

BTW: Matt Paxton, of Hoarders, LOVED this story so much!

This short story was clipped from my live virtual Show & Tale: Significant Objects in the fall of 2021 which encourage us to build connections, community & legacy one story of stuff at a time. ________________________________________________________________________________________

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