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When the young boy first started coming to school at the Children's Aid Home, he had a pair of worn out black sneakers that his grandma had put Dr. Scholl's inserts in to try and get them to last longer. Grandma bought the inserts because mom couldn't afford to buy them. He would apologize for how his shoes looked.
On his way into school one morning his shoes finally fell apart. The next day he came to school wearing his older sister's shoes. He didn't complain, but I knew they weren't comfortable or warm, and they looked like they were a size too big for him.
We went out and bought him a pair of shoes. It was a shame they didn't fit right, but I'm glad he was honest and didn't take them. We ordered shoes for him online, he was shocked at the price and didn't think we could afford something so expensive. We got the shoes a few days later. He said, "This is amazing! They are really comfortable." In his thank you note he says, "They're comfortable and warm, they're by far the best shoes I've had. It feels like they have a 5-star heater inside."
He wore them that day and since. He took his sister's shoes back home to return to her.
Recently the kids were able to get outside to fly kites. The following is a message from our neighbor, UPMC Somerset's In Touch Hospice, as shared by Lynne Sablotski, Executive Director of Children's Aid Home Programs.
"The kids continue to do well. I bought them kites last week and was surprised that only one of our kids had ever flown a kite. They had such a great time with this simple activity. The social worker from Hospice called me this morning and said they had a gentleman admitted to Hospice. He was very upset about being there and she was called in to meet with him last evening. While she was talking to the patient, his face lit up and he pointed out the window. He saw the kids flying the kites. She said he was so happy while watching the kids. Her call to me was to share how much she appreciated the fact that the kids made his day. I went back and shared this story with the kids and two of our boys started crying. They then quickly planned their next kite flying activity. Every day has presented new challenges, yet every day the kids give us reasons to smile. I'm so grateful for days like this!"
I hope this little story brings a smile to you as it did for the gentleman at Hospice.