Where's your shoe box?

People buy shoes every day. Running shoes, dress shoes, bedrooms shoes-people buy them all. People pull them out of the box and throw the box away...unless you are me. I always seem to hang on to shoe boxes. Why? Well, I can't really explain it. For one, I'm a pack rat. I always have been. Just look at my closet. It tells the tale. Really though, why do I hang on to shoe boxes. Well maybe this song can explain why. Here are the lyrics to Chris Young's The Shoebox:





"The Shoebox"


I stumbled on a bunch of junk of mine
In a shoebox the other night
In between cleaning up files and messes
That I'd made of my life

Ticket stubs, poems and old letters
I dumped them all out on the bed
Found a homemade birthday card from mom
And this is what it said, yeah, this is what it said

Don't forget the little moments
They're the ones that mean the most
When the way home seems so far away
Take 'em out and hold them close

And take a picture with your father
'Cause one day he'll be gone
And don't forget to fill an old shoebox
Full of things to look back on, full of things to look back on

I opened up my grandpa's pocket knife
And I was back to his back porch
It was summertime I was turnin' nine
He said, "You want that knife? It's yours"

I remember runnin' off in the yard
Carved my name in every tree
I haven't held it since he passed away
And it meant the world to me
Because he meant the world to me

Don't forget the little moments
They're the ones that mean the most
When the way home seems so far away
Take 'em out and hold them close

And take a picture with your father
'Cause one day he'll be gone
And don't forget to fill an old shoebox
Full of things to look back on

Look back on, a little window to the past
Look back on, God knows life goes by so fast
If ever you should ever doubt the blessings that you've had

Don't forget the little moments
They're the ones that mean the most
When the way home seems so far away
Take 'em out and hold them close

And take a picture with your father
'Cause one day he'll be gone
And don't forget to fill an old shoebox
Full of things to look back on

I stumbled on a bunch of junk of mine
In a shoebox the other night

The pocket knife my dad gave me, my great-grandfather's flag from his casket, my grandpa's calendar from Vietnam, my great-great uncle's bronze star and purple heart, my uncle's shotgun, my great-grandfather's appreciation plaque, letters from graduation, the watch my grandpa gave me- all of those are little things that I keep that have more than a material meaning to me-things that are in my "shoe box" In life, I see so many people caught up in the here and now, especially those my age. They want the newest, biggest and best when all along their greatest possessions are the little things. 

For me though, it's the little things that are meaning more each day. For example, when I look back on cards that have someone's hand writing that is no longer here, I see them and it's a beautiful feeling. The same goes for things like my uncle's shotgun. I see him when I see that gun. It's good to be reminded sometimes that the little things aren't as small as they seem sometimes. When the riches of this world fail you, the memories that the little things bring will carry you through. I've never been someone of great material wealth, but when it comes to memories and love I feel like the richest man on earth sometimes.

It's disappointing to see people fall victim to the status quo. You can't be happy when you are constantly trying to find joy in the wrong places. Where's your joy? Perhaps it's in an old shoe box full of things to look back on. If it is, consider yourself rich. The Lord once said, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses." I don't know about you, but that "shoe box" is just fine for me. What about you? Maybe you need to buy a pair of shoes!

Tonight, my blog was short and simple. The best things in life sometimes are short and simple. Look back on your own life and think about the little things. Think about what kind of joy they bring. It's awesome isn't it!

The measure of a man is not found in the abundance of things he possesses. Rather, the measure of a man can sometimes be found in what he's got in his "shoe box."

That, my friends, is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man!