short socks...

this pcture is circa october 30ish 2004.

thats me on the left, in younger, thinner, longer haired, less make-upd, simpler days.

the lovely ladies with me are becky and rachel. together we made 3/4ths of the edge team that i went to europe for 6 months with. brad is missing from this picture, i think he was preaching somewhere or something that day. boy did he miss out. rachel and becky were two of the first friends i made at college, in fact becky was the very first person i met at college. and we all happened to hear God calling us to this trip, and were thrilled when we realized we would be doing it together. for 6 months this is all we knew, each other. we lived together, we served together, we shopped together, we ate together, becky and i even slept in the same bed for 3 months. the 4 of us made the weirdest family ever. we also made the best family ever.

back to the picture, that completely adorable scarved lady is a woman we met in our time in romania. we were serving at sort of a retirement facility, and this lovely lady was thrilled to see us. she was thrilled to give us these handmade socks. when she saw us wandering the hallway, she waved us into her room, smiling form ear to ear. she quickly reached under her bed, fingering for a grocery sack. she pulled the bag out and opened it so we could see the contents. she could not stop smiling. the bag was filled with pairs of these hand knitted socks. all different kinds of threads and colors, all the exact same shape. as we picked our socks, she picked up her knitting needles and continued her knitting. the darling old lady was knitting more socks. we picked our loot, and smiled for the picture. we sat with her awhile. and then we left and giggled down the hall at the shape of our funny little socks. i don't know if you can tell from the picture... but they are about as wide as they are long, they are virtually squares with a toe and a heel. oh the joy it gave her to make these socks, and to give them to everyone. of that sweet old lady, she melted my heart. she does still today.

as we climbed in the van with some other missionaries at the end of the day, we were still talking about our darling precious socks. our translator doro, or domo, or toro, oh heavens i am starting to forget details of my life at that time... well, whatever is name was, started telling us about how this woman had been making these socks for as long as anyone could remember. he said everyone had tried to tell her to make them slimmer and longer, but she never changed her socks. he said she went to live with relatives in california for a year, and how he was sure the entire state of california must have these funny square shaped socks. we laughed and laughed and loved this darling little lady even more.

i don't know if the other girls wear their socks, i don't know if they were intimidated by their square shape and short foot length. i choose to wear mine anyway, the heel hitting me about mid arch. i always have to wear a pair of socks under them, because they are too wide and would let air and cold creep in. these socks remain one of my favorite pairs of house socks. they are warm, and cozy, and full of love. it doesn't matter that they don't fit quite right, and it doesn't matter that i wear them the wrong way, praying they will mold to my feet and magically change shape. i love them. they are my greatest treasure i brought home from my 6 months abroad, and i will treasure them as long as i live.

they remind me of a foreign land that felt more like home than any place i have ever been. they remind me of people who welcomed us, loved us, would do anything for us. they remind me of bus rides, and pouring rain, and my jeans being soaked to the knee. they remind me of sarmale, and ciorba, and stella on tap at mcdo. they remind me of serving, and working, being used wherever i could be. they remind me of living on nothing, being as poor as the people i served, and being happier than every before. they remind me of finding myself, being myself, being faced with the reality of who i am. they remind me of the best 6 months in my life, and the people who have touched me the most in my life. they remind me of my romania. they remind me of my second home.

Comments

  1. This makes me smile. What a most amazing time! Remember the lady who sang to me for like 30 minutes hymns she would make up? And you were right, Doro. Let's go back. Tomorrow. Thanks for the memories! PS I am soo skinny in that picture and that was like at my heaviest on the trip. That sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So many good memories! I don't wear my socks, but I still have them and they have a walnut in the toe of one of them. Remember the lady that gave us all the walnuts? Crazy times!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many good memories! I don't wear my socks, but I still have them and they have a walnut in the toe of one of them. Remember the lady that gave us all the walnuts? Crazy times!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AprilD16:24

    Can I just say you look like jen in this picture. I had to do a double take! Crazy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts