WELCOME To Randy's Christmas Page! MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL .. MAY *GOD* BLESS EACH and EVERY ONE THIS! HOLIDAY SEASON.....Randy :o)
((THIS STORY WAS SENT TO ME SO HEART TOUCHING))
The Gold Slippers
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 on top of 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.
Author Unknown