I was invited to speak at the ladies gathering this month at the church where I serve. I am always honored to get a chance to spend time with these saints of the church. Whenever I am in their presence, I pray that some of their holiness rubs off on me just by breathing their air.

I was inspired by Patsy Clairmont’s little book on how the Fruit of the Spirit can be related to the shoes we wear. Being a woman who wears a size 11 wide, I don’t have the closet full of shoes that my more moderate and normal footed friends have. My shoes don’t fit on a traditional shoe tree, and I typically shop not by “That’s shoe’s cute,” but rather “What are my size 11 wide options?”

On 9/15/87 I gave my life to Jesus when Baby Girl was born. I accepted Jesus as my Savior on 3/18/71, but didn’t choose to make Him Lord of my life until the moment I held her in my arms and thought, “Oh My! He gave this up for me.”

On Good Friday, I became a Mimi and my Baby Girl became a mother. During one of those first late nights, she would tell me, “He (Mr. Yummy) filled a hole I didn’t even know was there. He changed my body and changed my heart.”

We have embarked on a SEASON OF NEW LOVE: a new child, a new honey, Jesus newly presented, a new neighbor, a new friend-in-the-Lord, a new job, a new ministry, a new experience of Jesus’ presence, a new bible verse that seems written especially for you, a new season of VBS, a new summer of wonder.

Babies born in the South do not wear shoes unless it’s winter.  Bare baby feet are out and open.  Bare baby feet remind me of new love. When we get to plan for “do overs” and “restarts” and “new beginnings.”

When was the last time you experienced “new love?”