Boots

Good Morning!! The 5 weeks that we all worked on getting the CIG ready for open, I had a lot of ideas and suggestions thrown at me. There was a core group of 7 of us that worked almost every single night since Thanksgiving. One of the guys walked in one night and said "Hey Teresa, what is going to be your thing in here?" he proceeded to explain.." Ya know some places have $ bills everywhere with n...ames and date...or you could have bras signed by people..." of course this last one we all laughed at with an emphatic, "I dont think so!!" but I didnt know. As the days turned into weeks, this old building full of history started coming together. When we started on the place we had a lot of clean out before we could get started.....lots of things left behind. There was an old brown pair of cowboy boots that we could see way up in the raftors but could never reach..... finally one of my precious friends, Rotten is what I call him...and I promise that name fits him,was able to reach them. When he brought them down we all talked about the questions surrounding the boots, "Who's were they? why were they up there? how old they were? The old brown boots sat on the bar for the next few days as we continued to work. Rotten one night proclaimed he knew what he wanted to do with the boots..." I want to sign my name and hang them up!!" My precious friend had worked night and weekends all voluntarily for weeks I would do anything he wanted. After the boots were hung, I would sit and look at them, they were special.....Rotten would always be apart of this building, his name written on the bottom and when I saw his name it would bring a smile to my heart and lips...I would remember.... Happy Beautiful Wednesday!! That is when it hit me...this would be the CIG thing, boots hanging with names written on the bottom, so when you look up you remember.... it is special. My B was the first one to bring another pair of boots in, they were his Papa Lynn's boots (Shelby's dad), he left to go to heaven almost 2 years ago.....but he now is remembered at the CIG. The next pair are a childs boots....the first CIG baby, now almost 5, and oh mylanta is he precious he loves to dance and is full of personality, he makes me giddy and seeing his boots bring a smile!! The newest pair I have been given...... a man that passed on January 9. His daughter sat in a booth one morning with tears streaming as she tells me of her loss...I tried to give words of comfort but her hurt was still too new. The next time she was in she asked one of the girls what is up with the boots? they tell her.."It is people memories" that afternoon she brings me her precious daddy's boots for me to hang. She came in yesterday and saw those treasured boots hanging with her daddy's name wriiten on the bottom and there were tears but I believe tears that brought good memories... she took a picture and expressed her feelings. What an honor for people to bring me boots.... they are a celebration!! I envision boots everywhere, whether they are in memory of or they were the best dancing boots you have ever worn and now they are worn out or they are the ones you got married in.... no matter what the memory....they are special!! Next time you are in...enjoy others memories.... they have intrusted the CIG and me with them and I am honored and humbled to be apart.....these boots represent a journey of others....I celebrate them and I am honored. I can promise they are hung and displyed with love.....the day we hung Papa Lynns boots we stood as a family and remembered......what an amazing blessing...funny how cowboy boots can bring tears and joy and memories!!