A story

 (Here's a story, for those of you who are just checking blogs today... now I'll get back to work.)

Christmas Shoes

It was only five days before Christmas. The spirit of the season hadn't yet caught up with
me, even though cars packed the parking lot of our Houston area Target Shopping
Center. 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 10 and a younger girl about
5. 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 Sir." "What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the
shoes?" I asked. The small 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. Christmas
is not about the amount of money paid, nor the amount of gifts purchased, nor trying to
impress friends and relatives. Christmas is about the love in your heart to share with
those as Jesus Christ has shared with each of us. Christmas is about the Birth of Jesus
whom God sent to show the world how much he really loves us. Please show this love as
we think of the upcoming season.
-Author Unknown