Gold Slippers
By Johnny Angel
It was only four days before Christmas. The spirit of the season hadn't
yet
caught up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot of our
local
discount store. Inside the store, it was worse. Shopping carts and last
minute shoppers jammed the aisles.
Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much
as my
head. My list contained names of several people who claimed they
wanted
nothing but i knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't buy them
anything.
Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of
items,
I considered gift-buying anything but fun.
Hurriedly, I filled my shopping cart with last minute items and
proceeded to
the long checkout lines. I picked the shortest but it looked as if it
would
mean at least a 20 minute wait.
In front of me were two small children - a boy of about 5 and a younger
girl. The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large, tattered tennis
shoes
jutted far out in front of his much too short jeans. He clutched several
crumpled dollar bills in his grimy hands.
The girl's clothing resembled her brother's. Her head was a matted
mass of
curly hair. Reminders of an evening meal showed on her small face.
She
carried a beautiful pair of shiny, gold house slippers. As the Christmas
music sounded in the store's stereo system, the girl hummed along,
off-key
but happily.
When we finally approached the checkout register, the girl carefully
placed
the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a
treasure.
The clerk rang up the bill. "That will be $6.09," she said.
The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand while he searched his
pockets. He finally came up with $3.12. "I guess we will have to put
them
back, " he bravely said. "We will come back some other time, maybe
tomorrow."
With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. "But Jesus
would have loved these shoes, " she cried.
"Well, we'll go home and work some more. Don't cry. We'll come
back," he
said.
Quickly i handed $3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in
line
for a long time. And, after all, it was christmas.
Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said,
"Thank you
lady."
"What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?" I
asked.
The boy answered, "Our mommy is sick and going to heaven. Daddy
said she
might go before Christmas to be with Jesus."
The girl spoke, "My sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven
are
shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won't mommy be beautiful walking on
those
streets to match these shoes?"
My eyes flooded as i looked into her tear streaked face. "Yes" I
answered,
" I am sure she will."
Silently i thanked God for using these children to remind me of the true
spirit of giving."
N Prayer,
Johnny <*}}}><