His Robeez shoes because he screamed with any other shoe due to sensory issues.
His Sketchers because they light up when you walk and I thought that Noah would learn to take his first steps if I was just patient enough.
His cheap Payless Disney Planes shoes because they were easy to get on and had good quick velcro
His Piedro Shoes that I paid gobs of money for and had shipped from Canada because I thought they'd help his legs and feet become steady.
His Sure Steps because I was convinced if we mounted them to the Taos orthotic device he'd learn to walk.
His Hanna Anderson slippers because I thought he'd appreciate warm feet.
His Jack and Jill Boots because I hoped he'd tolerate boots to be outdoors in the snow.
His Carter high tops that we mounted wood to the soles so that he'd feel the wait of his feet while trying to walk at therapy.
I held so many dreams and wishes in all those shoes.
Noah recently acquired my most favorite pair of shoes. They didn't come for a specific purpose. They came simply as a gift love. Peach's Neet Feet designed a very extra special pair of Miracle Shoes for Noah. A non-profit organization dedicating their talent and time to providing selfless acts of giving. They use art to create custom, hand-painted shoes to celebrate children who are fighting cancer and living with disabilities.
These shoes meant the most when they arrived because they were simply designed to celebrate Noah. Shoes that capture and represent his spirit. There is a quote that another special needs parent passed onto me years ago when Noah was very little "If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes." It was one of those say it to yourself over and over again thoughts until I fully understood the true meaning of what that parent was trying to tell me. The path of a special needs parent isn't an easy one. It is the hardest level of parenting one could ever imagine. But the significance of that quote is that we were given all the tools we need to walk this path. We were handed those strong shoes to walk this strong, complicated, challenging, painful yet incredibly rewarding path.
And Noah's Miracle shoes are a beautiful reminder of how strong he is, how strong we all are as a family. And they happen to be super adorable and were made with such love.
"Kindness is so small, but so big in the lives of others. It's not what you see, but how you see it." Madison Steiner (Founder of Peach's Neet Feet)
Love,
Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.