29-05-2005, 02:04 PM
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."
- Unknown
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."
- Unknown