Wet Feet: A Heart-Warming Thanksgiving Story

The rain was pounding on my car as I pulled into my local ROSS store. It was a few days before Thanksgiving and I had a gift card. Finally I was going to get myself some new shoes and clothes! This might sound bland. But I was used to getting gift cards and using them to get gifts for others. So, buying myself something was a new, exciting experience.

I browsed the clothes, filled up my cart, and moved to the shoes. I found a couple pairs that I liked. Choosing the right shoes was important because I sometimes have to be on my feet for long periods of time. I couldn’t decide, so thought to myself, “I’ll get my clothes and think about which shoes to get.”

I stood in line trying to decide, but it moved quicker than I thought. Before I knew it, I was buying my clothes and running to my car in the pouring rain.

I put my clothes in the trunk and got into driver’s seat. I was about to turn the key in the ignition,  but I stopped myself. I said, “David you always do this. Go in and buy the shoes, otherwise you won’t be back for awhile.”

So, newly inspired, I ran in and got the shoes I wanted.

As I came out, a homeless kid in his twenties approached me shyly and said, “I like your shoes?”

“Oh, these?” I held up the new shoes in my hand.

He smiled, “No the shoes on your feet.”

“Oh… you want them?”

He shook his head to say “Yes.”

Without thinking twice, I took my shoes off in the pouring rain and gave them to him. Immediately, he put them on his bare feet. They fit! He smiled and said, “Ohhh warm inside.”

As I ran back to my car in my soaked socks and wet feet, the rain was still coming down.

I felt so much gratitude for helping someone out without wanting anything in return. He taught me the real lesson of Thanksgiving. Thanks and giving are the biggest gifts of Love.