down to my toes

A few friends stopped by last week looking for work.

They did some weeding and sweeping and watering for us in the front yard,

and Michael (in green) taught us how to make a kite out of a plastic bag.

He took it for a test-run on the street, and it worked great!  

Wish I had thought to take a photo of him flying it; 

the smile on his face was priceless.

When their work was done, 

they enjoyed some time playing with (our) Michael, 

the scooter, and the rope swing.

About this time I began to notice their shoes.

Jericho's were fine,

but Josanne's were a few sizes too small,

Jasper's had a hole worn through the sole,

and the straps on Michael's were falling apart.

So I took a look around our house, 

and found 3 extra pairs of out-grown flip-flops to share with them.

They were so delighted with their 'new' shoes.

Many children in this country live life barefoot, 

or in shoes just like these.

Though that might sound carefree and easy,

without shoes, there is nothing to protect their feet from getting cut and infected.

And because soil-transmitted diseases are common, 

shoe-less kids are at risk of both long-term physical and cognitive injury.

Shoes are also a required part of the school uniform,

so without shoes, many children are not even qualified to attend school.

Here's just one more privilege I have taken for granted;

the shoes on my feet.

May we remember to give thanks today 

all the way down to our toes!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As a side-note...one day someone dumped a cartload of old shoes near the neighborhood trash cans.  These are a precious commodity!  People scrambled to find matches, and one little boy came away teetering on a mis-matched pair of high heels.  Amusing, but not exactly practical!