Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

Red shoes have been my favorite, ever since I first watched Dorothy wear red shoes in the Wizard of Oz when I was only three years old.

I can’t remember if Mom bought me red shoes when I was a child, but I certainly remember buying myself a sexy pair of red, pointed, spike high heals when I was a young woman.

Later, after having children, my young daughter loved to play dress up in those red shoes. I can still see & hear her clunking through the kitchen with them on, a mile too big for her tiny 4 year old feet.

Red shoes are power shoes. Look what they did for Dorothy. She eventually found her way home in those red shoes.

It took me a long time to find my way home. My life journey has been a long and winding yellow brick road full of scary challenges, joys and sorrows, losses and gains.

Like Dorothy, it took me a long while to discover that other people did not have the answers, not even smart “wizards” like my former husband. I had to find my own answers within myself. And my red shoes reminded me of my power to stand up for myself, stand out, be noticed, and make my own decisions whether it pleased others or not.

The power of those red shoes followed me throughout my life, whether I wore them or not. Their color continued to remind me of my inner strength & courage, whether I felt it or not.

The hard working years of raising a family eventually passed, and my long standing, shapely, now varicose veined legs could no longer handle red spike high heels. I had to trade them in for red comfy flats. But their vibrant, red color still made me smile as I remembered Dorothy and her powerful red shoes. I wondered, where would these red shoes take me now that my kids were grown?

A new business, a new home, and a long, hard divorce were on the horizon. Could I do it? Could I, like Dorothy, weather the storm ahead and find my way in a new land?

I put on my red shoes and walked out into the unknown, trusting I would find my way, because now I knew my true Home resided within me.