Soles of Hope

   This morning was the 5th annual  "Soles of Hope" at my church.  It was started to honor the memory of a little boy who died of cancer, and I have been blessed to take part in this ministry.  We served breakfast to over 1000 people, gave away over 600 pairs of sneakers, and each family took home a big box of groceries.

   My job was to help the little boys find the perfect pair of shoes at the 5 - 7 1/2 size table.  Some came in with flip-flops or no shoes at all, and as I put socks on dirty little feet, my heart was full of joy to be able to put a smile on the face of boys and parents. One grandma said she didn't know what they would have done without our help. Another burst into tears as she explained that she had just moved here yesterday --"You don't know what this means to me" she said.
    Although our table was stacked high with shoes at 9:00, by 10:30 we only had a single pair of sizes 5 and 7, so I quickly drove to Walmart and bought more, getting back just in time to make more boys happy!

     I was also happy to see some of my former kindergarten students -- so sweet to get hugs and smiles as they recognized me. I loved those kids.
     While the media is full of reports about that small group of racists demonstrating, I prefer to think about the large group of loving people bending down to tie shoes on feet of every color. There are lots more people serving God by serving others than there are of the hateful groups that get all the attention. And I'd much rather be on my knees tying shoes than waving signs and yelling hateful words.