Good-bye and Hello, Boat Shoes

Growing up, the nearest water for me was the Terrace Park swimming pool about five blocks from home. Summer footwear was always cheap thongs, and I'd go through a couple pairs each season. But even as a child, I longed for boat shoes. We never spent any time on a boat, mind you, but they seemed so exotic.

These days in the summer, if I'm not wearing sneakers, I'm in what I will always call Sperry Top-siders, regardless of what company owns the brand now. The ones on the right are my second pair in probably twenty-five years. I kid you not. The leather of this pair was lighter than my originals, and I didn't like that too much at first. But they darkened as I put hundreds of thousands of walking, light hiking, and beach bumming miles on them. I had the laces restrung at least twice and the rear soles refurbished. The insoles are now paper-thin, and the soles have all but worn through at the balls of my feet. So I got a new part that I'm going to wait to wear until next summer. Again this time, the leather is a bit too light for me. But I'll smile when I unpack them in eight months or so... and look forward to our miles together.

On the Nightstand: The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

I read a lot of contemporary Christian fiction this summer, and greatly enjoyed finding some new-to-me authors. The one who resonated with me the most was Amanda Cox, a Christy-winning novelist who describes herself as a "therapist-turned-novelist who pens stories about characters finding hope, healing, and a sense of belonging." I wish I did that as beautifully as she does! I started with He Should Have Told the Bees, the story of two young women who are named in a beekeeper's trust. The women are as different as night and day, but share more than it initially seems. 

This month, I'll be reading Cox's The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, the story of a complex mother-daughter relationship (aren't almost all mother-daughter relationships complex?) on my travels.

What's on your nightstand?

Whew! It was quite a summer: a week-plus trip to South Dakota; several live and virtual events supporting Unforgettable Women of the Gospels, my latest book (I've included a short video above); and a trip to Poland to see Warsaw and the area northeast of there from which my great-grandparents emigrated in the late 19th century. The photo is of the Church of the Annunciation in Krasnybor, where my great-grandmother was baptized.

This month, I'll be in New Orleans for the American Christian Fiction Writers' conference (I'm a semifinalist in ACFW's Genesis competition for unpublished novelists), and in Orlando with a dear friend for ChosenCon, a cool event for devotees of The Chosen TV series.

May September bring you much joy.... and the peace that surpasses all understanding. --Melanie