Socks

Daniel admired the orange variegated socks, strewn with grey paisley swirls, he'd found for Elias.  'He is winsome indeed', I thought of  Daniel, as he untied the chosen shoes to slip onto Elias' newly sock-clad feet.   Elias commented on the dapper grey vest, baby-blue silk tie, jeans and argyle socks this shoe salesman wore, to which Daniel answered, "If you look good, you feel good and if you feel good, you act accordingly!  You should see the way my kids act when I pick them up from school looking as I do, they feel proud that I'm their dad!"

Over coffee, an half hour later, Elias and I returned our conversation to Daniel and snapped this snazzy photo of Elias' new look.  It was delightful to hear the root of Daniel's handsome exterior; to be professional in his workplace and to bless his household by representing himself well!  In our lives, this has been a quiet goal for me as well.  I always 'dress' and the Littles do the same.  I see in Elias, Magdalene and Gabriel, that those seeds of giving a nice appearance have roots in them.  As a home school mom, I can't tell you the surprise I've encountered when people ask what I do or where I'm going and I reply, "I'm a stay-at-home mom, I'm headed home, or staying here!"  I dress in a way that shows my children and the people inside and outside of my walls that they deserve my best.

With a similar motivation, Dennis rarely wears a suit or elegant clothes.  He prefers nice fitting polos and jeans, to reflect his personality.  His greatest introductory compliment was from our friend Susan who said to another, "Dennis doesn't look like a heart surgeon, he looks like a river raft instructor!"  The way we present ourselves matters.  Yes, it encourages our own attitude, but the face we reflect to others shows respect to them as well.  In Dennis we see a doctor who is in it for the long haul, adventure ready, but relaxed enough to sit beside his patients and their families in casual dress, willing to stay for the duration of time he is needed or wanted.  His clothes also say he is a normal guy who can play on the floor with his kids, take out the trash and probably be thrown out of a country club (which almost happened, except for this line, "I know Bill Gates was directed to change from his jeans to remain here.  I however, only have my jeans to wear today, and since I am your key-note speaker, I probably need to stay!").

As Elias and I left the mall, he said, "Thanks Mom, six pair of socks and a pair of excellent shoes, I'm set...but don't worry, I won't be following exactly in Daniel's footsteps.  That website, to which he referred, Four-pair of socks for $40 a month, isn't my thing.  Forty-eight pair of socks a year, nah...even with my roommate Alec stealing them I couldn't justify that!"