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Monday, November 15
The dark, gray skies overhead threatened an early snow. Rushing shoppers, all bundled up to ward off the cold, crowded the sidewalks, lost in their to-do list for Thanksgiving.
Oblivious to their surroundings, no one noticed a small, shivering boy standing in front of the shoe store, his nose pressed against the window, barely dressed and only flip-flops on his dirty feet.
However, one man did see him and stopped, dead still in his tracks, causing others to bump into him. He didn’t notice the bumps and grumblings, but he did notice the small boy because he had a son about the same age.
Thinking how he would feel if this were his son standing there, barely clothed, the man quietly slid next to the boy, the man stood there for a moment, and then said, “They have some nice shoes here, don’t they?”
“Yeah,” came the soft reply.
“Which ones do you like?”
“That pair over there…the cool running ones.”
“Oh, I’ll bet you could run fast in those.”
“Yes sir. I sure could. Like the wind!”
“You know, I have a little boy just about your age.”
“Oh, yeah? I’ll bet he has shoes like that.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, he does. But I have an idea.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“How ‘bout I take you into the store and buy you that pair of shoes?”
The boy stood there motionless. After a few moments, with tears in his eyes, he looked up at the man. “You want to buy me shoes?”
“I sure do. Your feet must be freezing and I’d love to buy them for you.”
The boy couldn’t even answer.
The man took the boy by the hand and walked into the store. Finding the manager, the man described the pair of shoes and asked the manager to please get a pair in the boy’s size, along with some socks. Then, he said he and the boy would be in the restroom and would he please bring the shoes and socks in there.
The manager gathered the shoes and socks and, upon entering the men’s restroom, found the man on his knees washing the young boy’s feet.
“Can’t stick dirty feet into clean, new socks and shoes, now can we?”
The young boy just stared at the man as he lovingly washed away all the accumulated street-dirt and gently dried his feet.
Feeling he was intruding on a very special moment, the manager quietly placed the shoes and socks on the floor without saying a word.
After placing the socks and shoes on the boy’s feet, the man stood up, and with hands on his hips, said, “Okay. Let’s see how they look. Walk around.”
The little boy couldn’t move. He stared down at his feet that felt glued to the floor. He looked up, tears now streaming down his little face, and said, “Mister, are you Jesus?”
The boy’s words took the man’s breath away. So overcome with emotion, the man could barely speak. Finally, he muttered, “No, son, I’m not. But I know Him very well. And this is a gift from Him.”
“This is the greatest Thanksgiving ever. Would you tell Jesus thank you for me?”
“Well, let’s go for a walk and I’ll tell you how you can do that yourself.”
This post is part of three blog chains. Please check out the other posts at:
Bridget Chumbley’s One Word Blog Carnival
ChristianWriters.com blog chain (see blog chain list in the sidebar)
A Holiday Haven
Sweet, sweet story. It reminds me of that song, The Christmas Shoes.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh, this story always makes me cry. You are so special.
What a lovely and sentimental story!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story...so beautiful...it puts things into perspective immediately...doesn't it? You are a blessing...and it does remind me of the song, "The Christmas Shoes".
Did you write this? I would love to use it as a post... It was wonderful.
There was also a movie based on the song "The Christmas Shoes," shown only on CBN as far as I know. It's such a great story, I'd like to nominate it as the best blog-chain entry of the month.
Great Job, Lynn! ;)
~ VT
Beautiful story! I think I've read it somewhere before - maybe one of those story emails that you get every once in a while - but regardless of its origin, it has a powerful message. Thanks for posting it, Lynn.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Rebecca! I've seen the movie and didn't realize there was a song also. Blessings to you! :D
Thanks so much, sweet Sandy! I'm guessing you must have read it last year. It's a repeat! Be blessed, my friend! :D
Tracy, thanks for visiting! And thanks for your kind words. I deeply appreciate it! Be blessed! :D
Oh, Teresa! You are so kind! You make my heart happy. Thank you so much for commenting! Blessings to you! :D
Thoughts for the day...Yes, I did write it. I'll be in touch. Thank you so much! Bless you! :D
Wow! Thank you, Victor! Yes, I saw the movie. It was also on Hallmark. Love it. It's a great story. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words! Makes my heart happy! Bless you! :D
Thanks so much, Traci! I did write it but it is similar to others. So happy to have you visit. Bless you! :D
This story always touches me. You did a nice job with it.
Good story. I liked the ending where the kind man would show the boy how to tell Jesus thank you.
Wow, talk about a tear-jerker! Great post, Lynn.
In the future remind to post before you; you're a hard act to follow.
Peace and Blessings
Lisa, Thanks so much! So glad you stopped by and commented! Blessings to you! :D
Hazel, So nice to have you visit. I'm glad you liked it! Be blessed! :D
LOL! Thank you so much, Ed! You made my heart happy! Bless you! :D
Beautiful story, Lynn! Thank you! :)
Thank you so much, Sarah! I'm so happy you took time to stop by. Blessings to you! :D
Okay, no fair making me cry on a Tuesday night Lynn! lol Wonderful story and example of love. Thanks :-)
Aw, I'm sorry, Lorrie! But I'm glad it touched your precious heart! Thank you! xoxox
Great post Lynn. Just goes to show you that you can make a difference in someone's life by doing a simple loving gesture. There are 1000 ways you could personalize this story and "flesh it out" in your own community. Thanks for giving us the kick in the pants we all need to actually do it... Blessings,
Deborah, it doesn't take much, does it? Thanks so much for commenting. Always love seeing you! Bless you! :D
Great post, Lynn. I'm always blessed when I read your blog.
Aw, thank you so much, Sheila! You bless me! Blessings to you! :D
Lynn -
This is an tear-jerker. I certainly hope that I can show Christ to someone just the way this man did for this boy.
Great story! God bless!
This is a beautiful story! Great example of how simply we can love others. Thanks so much for adding it to my blog party!
What a beautiful story, Lynn, and a great example of how we can show Jesus to others. Thank you for this timely blessing with Thanksgiving drawing near. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Beautiful story. Lynn. *sniff* Thank you for sharing, my friend.
Very touching. Was at church this morning where a Bhutanese group meets. Most of them are from a very warm part of Nepal and have never experienced the kind of winter we have coming through now. And so many are wearing next to nothing on their feet ... they don't realize what they are up against. The blessing: churches, families, individuals are "stepping" in to provide what they need in terms of shoes and socks. Most of us would never think of what it would be like to go through that.
Another bit: When I was in East St. Louis back in '67 helping in a ministry, the poverty in that area stood out. One family could only send the kids to school every few days as they shared only one pair of shoes. A reality most of us have never experienced or observed.
Obviously, you got my mind churning and popping. Thanks.