Rebecca and her daughter Joni with their “Shoe Tree”
Creative Writing Assignment- Excellent to use an opening or closing activity!
“One Shoe Diary”
Visit: www.oneshoediaries.com .
Click on the CNN Headline News link: “News to Me” and view the brief video segment relating to the photography project.
After viewing the video, students will use their laptops to search the website. Students will select a shoe from the photo gallery. Based on the photograph, students will compose a creative story. Using Pages, students can easily drag the photographs from the website and drop the image onto a template.
It blew me away. I cannot believe that my little project born out of boredom on the highway has spawned into this. But for me it gets better with these stories that were shared with me as a result of being on CNN…
I live in El Paso, Texas and I was watching CNN when I saw the piece about the one shoe, so I went to the website. Sad to say I have never been to any of the places that were featured in blog. I have always wanted to go to White Sands and explore. It made me realize after looking at your pictures that I need to take my kids and experience the sands. So with that said, we are loading up today and heading that way. Thanks for the beatiful pictures and inspiring to get off the couch and just GO
and this one which really touched me the most out of any so far…
“The Third World Shoe Tree”
My Daughter ( Joni) and I went to Roatan Honduras, in 2002, She Started to notice all the lost flip flops on the beach, so she hung them on a tree by the ocean. Thinking someone would claim them. The island children thought it was so neat, they all began to add to the tree. And spent many hours contributing to it. It’s a very poor country, so every once in awhile they would find two similar shoes that might would fit. Even if they didn’t match. And would wear them home proudly. She keep this up for the entire time we were there. Thirty three days. After we returned home, my daughter was killed in a horrendous murder. Which to this day has remained unresolved. She was only forty two. I just wanted to thank you for helping a heart broken Mother remember happier times, by viewing your web site. Joni would have thought it was the neatest thing for someone to do..she too was a free spirit. And saw life as you see it through such artistic eyes! A mom, who’s heart is touched by your insight.
It was so hard to find the words to reply to this mother. I am so honored she shared her story with me, while making me sad and angry. It also has an uplifting spirit to it, which is what seems to carry on with me now. And now through me she has insured her daughters legacy be known and live on as I will always remember and retell her story.
This project has taken on such a life of its own now. So many people are touched and connected by these lost soles out there, I did not imagine the response we have gotten. Someone asked us the other day if we were making a fortune of the idea. I paused for a second… it depends on what you call wealth. If it is money and objects? Then no, i am not making a fortune by any means. If it is connecting with people and sharing life experiences that enrich our lives, then by all means YES! We have gained an immense wealth from this project. My wife and I gained a bond that will carry us with love and respect for each other the rest of our lives, we have been blessed with a son, who through our wisdom and experience gained will be raised to be a good soul. We are wealthy in ways money cannot buy.