The Miracle Shoes

TEN YEARS AGO:

I heard a story about two young African sisters who shared the same pair of shoes. Each would take turns walking barefoot to school and back so that the other could wear the shoes. The parents were just too poor to afford shoes for both daughters. Time went on.....then one day a wealthy American woman was visiting the village where the girls lived. By chance the three of them met and talked. This American woman was enchanted by the sweet girls and told them she would like to give them a gift.....whatever they felt would make them happy. She expected them to ask for something like a mobile phone but no....all these sisters asked for was a pair of shoes so that they wouldn't have to share the same pair anymore. The American woman was so humbled by their simple request that she said to them "Girls....I'm going to give you enough money so that each of you can afford a pair of shoes for the rest of your lives."

YESTERDAY:

I went to the shoe aisle at a store I work at to see if by chance the shoes I've wanted since early June were around. They were too expensive in early June and by early July there was a price reduction on them but all that was left were small sizes. However to my surprise one box was sitting off to the side and it was the shoes I loved in a size 8 (which is my shoe size) Sofie who worked in the department said "These are the very last pair left, somehow they ended up here. Check if they fit." The size 8 shoes (which is my shoe size) fit perfectly.....I felt like Cinderella.

To me this was a miracle. I stand all day on my feet at work, I bicycle and walk almost everywhere since I haven't owned a car in years. A pair of comfortable shoes for only $9.50 was truly a gift from the universe since I haven't been able to find a good pair of shoes in my budget for months. Sometimes.....it's the simple things in life, like a comfortable pair of shoes that can make a difference.

Just like those sisters in Africa I too felt blessed by a pair of:

MIRACLE SHOES!!