The moment she gives birth to her first child, a woman becomes a mom forever. Motherhood brings a lifetime of loving, nurturing, and worrying. Some moms get to worry about typical childhood stuff – like a child who is struggling in school, a child who experiences discomfort in social environments, or a child who gets cut from the sport team. Other moms worry about children facing life long disabilities or serious illnesses or injuries.

All mothers – no matter what their worries - wish their children a life of health, of happiness and success, and a life of normalcy. If you - like me - are not a mom of one of these children, we cannot possibly comprehend the day to day experience of loving and caring for these courageous fighters.

I know I am not equipped to write effectively on the topic of childhood disease or disability.

I can, however, tell you about a fabulous organization that works to bring smiles and hope to families facing such challenges. No matter what shoes you wear in motherhood, Peach’s Neet Feet will speak to you and have something to offer you.

When I first discovered Peach’s Neet Feet (PNF), I was immediately taken by this non-profit organization. PNF broke open my heart and moved me with its valiant efforts to put good into the lives of children and their families.

PNF “donates custom, hand-painted shoes to children living with disabilities and fighting life threatening illnesses” (from PNF website). Painting shoes since 2011, Madison Steiner – Peach - and her volunteer artists “celebrate (the) courage and individuality” of each child they paint for. PNF shoe artists give their time in order to design shoes specifically created for a child’s particular likes and interests. One of the artists featured on the PNF website states that she is a busy freelancer, but PNF is her “*highest* paying gig”.

Pictures of PNF recipients are posted on their website and Facebook page. While it breaks my heart to see how many children are in need of our prayers, I am also impelled to think about the moms who stand behind those children. I pause from my day – and whatever stress or responsibilities are consuming me – I utter a prayer for strength and healing. It is during these moments that I realize I do not know what these mothers go through on a daily basis, moment to moment. But I want them to know that they have my respect, my ardent hope for complete healing, and my understanding as deeply as it can possibly go.

We don’t yet have Peach’s Neet Feet in our community, but I am hoping to help bring them to our local children’s hospital. I want to be a shoe fairy and bring a little “heArt and Soul” to children. Is Peach's Neet Feet delivering shoes in your community?


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I discovered Peach’s Neet Feet when they won the 2012 Random Acts of Kindness Foundation Extreme Kindness Challenge. I decided on my own accord to write an article about PNF to 1) help promote what they do and 2) to encourage mothers to think about other mothers