The Shoes

As we evacuated our burning house, our sons and pets ended up in the van with me. We moved away from our home and stopped a few houses up the street. At this time, safely out of the house, and a few minutes past the adrenaline rush, a wave of emotion swept over me. As I listened to the beautiful song speaking to me through my car speakers I was overwhelmed. “Jesus, you’re watching over me, as I trust and obey.”

A neighbor, whose house we were parked in front of, approached our vehicle and asked if everyone had shoes. Well, in assessing each of us, Alex did not have shoes on. “What size are you?” he asked. “I’ll be right back.” He proceeded to open the trunk of his car and came back with a nice looking pair of athletic shoes. “Congratulations!” he said. This seemed like a very strange thing to say to a neighbor whose house was in flames just down the street. He went on to tell us that he was one of the Green Bay Packer equipment managers. The pair of shoes he had given us were from the 2008 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. He had them in his car, because he was going to be donating them to one of the local schools.

Funny, the things you learn on days like this. I had no idea who this man was, even after seven years of living down the street. It was a refreshing act of kindness.