Christmas Shoe Boxes

M and I almost didn't pack our own shoe boxes this year. So busy were we this season with receiving and putting almost 2,500 shoe boxes into cartons that shopping for our own shoe boxes almost slipped right off the radar.

But last Tuesday we sneaked in our annual shoe box shopping night. We chose pens and pencils, just the right size note book, bars of soap, toothbrushes, a T-shirt, socks, a bouncing ball, a wind-up flashlight, and some other treats to fill a shoe box each for boys, aged between ten and fourteen.

Our annual tradition of packing shoe boxes brings us much joy and satisfaction. But it is coming to know the heartwarming stories behind some of the shoe boxes that is the most rewarding aspect of our participation in this ministry.

Twice this season we went to pick up shoe boxes from women who, for different reasons, were not able to deliver them personally.

The first was an older woman of modest means who had to start over when she lost all her possessions, including her car, in an apartment fire earlier this year. Yet, in a few short months, as finances allowed, she purchased items to make up shoe boxes for underprivileged children. M and I were humbled by this woman's selflessness in difficult circumstances when we picked up the fifteen colourfully wrapped shoe boxes she had prepared.

We received a call from a woman at a long-term care facility requesting a shoe box pick-up. Amazingly, this quadriplegic woman had packed a shoe box. She chose what she wanted to go in her shoe box and arranged for someone to make the purchases for her. Although she was not able to actually put the items in the box herself, this was still very much her shoe box. Once again, we were humbled.

A young woman in her late teens heard about this ministry from a friend and read about it in the local newspaper. She got on board, challenging her friends on Facebook, putting up flyers in her neighbourhood and getting her younger sister's sports team involved. Ten days later she delivered thirty beautifully wrapped shoe boxes to us.

More than anything this ministry highlights the selflessness of others who want to make a small difference in the life of someone else.

Our shoe box season is not yet finished. Next week, Mr. and Mrs. Shoe Box head to Calgary to participate in the next leg of the shoe box journey.