GOLDEN 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 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.



"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."
Tis the Season!! Remember that it's 
better to give than receive so pass
it on.