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 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 sir."
"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!!
This was written in the Daily Mail by a very reknowned writer. It
followed that their mother was treated free of expenses in the Royal
hospital, London.
Remember that it's better to give than to receive...
No matter how cruel we might look from outside, there still exists a
tiny little space within the heart, that compels us to remain human in
every circumstance...
There is enormous love in every heart, but what matters is... who we
spend it on.. !!
Cheers to Humanity...
--
hamza .. :)
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 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 sir."
"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!!
This was written in the Daily Mail by a very reknowned writer. It
followed that their mother was treated free of expenses in the Royal
hospital, London.
Remember that it's better to give than to receive...
No matter how cruel we might look from outside, there still exists a
tiny little space within the heart, that compels us to remain human in
every circumstance...
There is enormous love in every heart, but what matters is... who we
spend it on.. !!
Cheers to Humanity...
--
hamza .. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment