This Old Pair of Jeans

To the common eye they are nothing extraordinary. Just a common pair of dark-wash denim jeans. Size 4R. Gap. Flare. The backs are frayed because of my too short legs. But to me they are so much more. A small corner of my past that I never got rid of.

Today I dug these jeans out of the back of my closet and slipped them on. A perfect fit. Aren't old jeans just like old friends? You haven't seen them in a long time, but getting back to them is so comfortable and natural.

 Under normal circumstances I would probably not be thrilled about adding two pant sizes to my thin frame, but this is different. It's like coming full circle. I hope to make this journey again sometime. From thin, to adding weight for a lovely new baby, to bringing a beautiful new life into the world, to thin again. Yes, I certainly hope to make this journey again.

These jeans have walked many miles with me. I remember the first day I saw them. I was preparing my outfit for a date that night. A first date, so it was important. I'm trying to picture that girl of so long ago. The choppy short blond hair, the athletic build, the excitement, the nervousness, the laughter that came so easily.

Nine years ago these Gap jeans were purchased by a 19 year old girl at Marshall's; the same Marshall's that this girl still shops at for her own children. The jeans were paired with a thick-strapped tank-top in bright pink and pink sandals.

That date was the start of something special. As Trent and I look forward to our 8th anniversary I wonder if I will wear these jeans again for that date. As my stomach continues to swell I don't imagine that they will be very comfortable in another 12 weeks, but maybe in 13 weeks, a week after our fourth baby is born I will wear these jeans again.

And as the weight continues to fall off as it always does when nursing a sweet new baby, the jeans will go back into their place in the back of the closet. Hopefully to resurface at another time. They serve as a loving reminder of the girl I was, and make me grateful for the woman God is slowly molding me into.

So to you they be just an old pair of jeans, but to me, they are much much more.