Stepping Back in Time: Nostalgic Memories of Vintage Shoes, Sunday School, and Backyard Adventures

I remember a time when my entire wardrobe of shoes was as simple as it could get. I had one pair of black patent leather Mary Janes for Sunday school and church, another pair of Saddle shoes for school, and yet another pair of rugged shoes for play when I got home. Every time I outgrew a pair, or when the shoes started to look too distressed, my mom would replace them with new ones that looked pretty much the same as the old ones. It was like a little shoe assembly line—constant and comforting.

My mom insisted on quality, so when Buster Brown shoes came along, she said, “These are shoes of better quality!” And she wasn’t kidding. Those shoes were hard to wear out. We usually had to wait until we outgrew them to get new ones. When we went to church, we dressed up in our finest—complete with a hat, white gloves, and a purse that perfectly matched my black shoes. I still recall the luxurious whiff of ‘To a Wild Rose’ Avon Cologne that my mother would spray me with as I stepped out.

There was a special coat for every occasion: one for church, one for school, and even a rugged one for riding my bike and playing outside. And speaking of play, sometimes we’d pretend to be superheroes. I loved it when it was my turn to be Lois Lane—channeling a bit of that daring charm.

Some of my happiest memories involve simple pleasures like swinging, making mud pies in the backyard, or simply playing on my own. I didn’t need a crowd to have a good time. I’d cut out pictures from the Sears Roebuck catalogs and let my imagination run wild with my make-believe families. And who could forget my favorite TV shows? ‘Captain Kangaroo,’ ‘Romper Room,’ ‘Mighty Mouse,’ and ‘I Love Lucy’ were my daily dose of fun. I even dreamed of being Annette Funicello (from the Mickey Mouse Club) one day!

Looking back, those days remind me that happiness was often found in the little things—a new pair of shoes, a splash of cologne, or a moment of solo adventure. It was a time when life was simple and each day was a small celebration of growing up.