Lines of Life

I was cleaning out our picture files this evening and came across this photo. I took this picture in August while we were on vacation in northern Wisconsin. It's Leelee's five-and-a-half-year-old foot, or is it? Sometimes, when I study her feet and see all those lines of life, I can't help but wonder about reincarnation. They look like they've walked many miles and lived many years. More like the feet of an 80-year-old woman. But, to touch them is to touch the feet of a baby. Soft and sweet, and somehow, smooth.

I remember when my dad first noticed that Leelee's feet were so creased with life. He would tease her and ask her where she got those old feet. She'd just shrug it off and say 'They came that way, Grandpa.' No worries on her part. Her feet are her feet and they're perfectly fine. She couldn't be more right.