Jesus Shoes

There were only five days before Christmas. I had not yet caught the spirit of the holidays. Parking lots full, and in-store, it was worse. You could not even walk through the hallways. Why did I come today? I wondered.

My feet hurt so much as my head. On my list were the names of people who claimed not to want anything, but I knew that if they bought something would suffer. Quickly filled my shopping cart with last minute and went to the lines at cash registers. I picked the shortest, I figured it would be at least 20 minutes waiting.

Before me were two children, a boy of 10, and his sister 5 years. He was badly dressed in a threadbare coat, shoes too big, maybe 3 sizes larger. The jeans were too short. He carried in his hands dirty a few crumpled bills.

His sister looked like him, except that his hair was matted. She wore a pair of women's shoes and shining gold. As the Christmas echoed throughout the store and I could hear the little girl humming. When you reach the cash register, the girl carefully placed the shoes to the cashier, as if it were a treasure.

The clerk rang up the bill and said, are $ 6.09. The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the counter while he searched his pockets.

Finally came up with $ 3.12. Well I think we'll have to return, come back another day and buy them, he added. At this the girl drew a pout on his face and said, "But Jesus would have loved these shoes."

Go home and work some more return for them. Do not cry, let's go back. But later I completed the missing three U.S. dollars to the cashier. They had been waiting in line for a long time and after all it was Christmas.

And a couple of Brazito that surrounded me with a tender hug and a voice said: "Thank you sir."

I took the opportunity to ask what he meant when he said that Jesus was like the shoes. And the girl with large round eyes he answered:

- "My mom is sick and going to heaven. My dad said he would go before Christmas to be with Jesus. My catechism teacher said the streets of heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Do not you see my mom beautiful walking on those streets with these shoes? "

My eyes welled when he saw a tear down his face beaming. Absolutely, I replied. And silently I thanked God for using these children to remember the true value of things.