by Amy Magaw
The mall was again bustling with Christmas shoppers. Chase immersed himself in gift wrap and bows. The aroma of transparent tape filtering through his nostrils exhilarated him. No more smothering, egotistical heiresses to deal with! Life is good. For once, the focus is on those who need it.
Chase volunteered with Emily at the gift wrap center for the rest of the week. He had never felt more at home in his life. But, no matter how many packages he wrapped, or hard he tried, the corners never did come out right. He began to have an eerie feeling—the feeling that someone was watching him. He slowly cut his eyes to Emily, whom he could see in his peripheral vision. She had been watching him struggle with the paper for a while. Then she noticed that his hands had stopped; she saw his eyes and giggled.
“I’m not getting any better, I am?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Why don’t I take over the wrapping, and you can collect the donations,” she suggested.
“Can I at least hand you the tape? It has been a week, and we’ve become...attached!” he said as he stroked it lovingly.
Emily burst into laughter. “Okay, you can keep the tape!”
They traded places and Emily took over wrapping Chase’s package with skill and ease.
He stood there watching her. He had been watching her all week. She is so diligent and thoughtful. She’s fresh air to my soul. “Emily, how did you get into volunteering all the time?”
“Well, at first I started singing with the youth choir at the nursing home as part of our Bible club’s community service requirement. I found that I really liked making other people feel better, so I began to look for other opportunities. You’d be surprised at how many people out there are hurting; they just need to know that Jesus loves them and that we care. We are so blessed, and you know the Bible teaches us that to whom much is given, much is required,” she said taking the last piece of tape from Chase’s fingers, placing it on the gift. “And that’s how it’s done!” She presented the gift to Chase who in turn carried it to the customer who had been patiently waiting.
“I’m really glad that I was there to help you with those flyers last week,” he said. “I’ve had this emptiness inside, that I haven’t been able to explain, but this...” he said as he spread his arms over the work being done, “...this just makes sense. We’ve got to give back, you know? That’s what I’ve been missing. I know the Lord, but I haven’t been sharing His love with others. Thank you for the wonderful example you’ve set for me,” Chase said as he wiped his eyes. “I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe God placed you in my path for a reason. He’s done so much for me, how can I not share His blessings?”
Emily stopped for a moment and smiled at him. Chase searched her eyes and found tears there as well. He watched as she turned away from him. I hope I haven’t upset her. She’s probably just emotional...girls are emotional...but she’s not like other girls. And what does that say about me? I’m over here weeping like sap from a Carolina pine! I can’t help it though—I’m feeling it, too—thankfulness. I’m so thankful that God has used her to help me...and maybe I’m just reading too much into this, but maybe this is turning into something more...
His thoughts continued to rattle through his mind as he began picking up the scraps of wrapping paper. They were interrupted as someone very determined made her way towards the table—Victoria. She stared at Emily and Chase. “Chase, honey, you can’t be serious? You’re not really joining them are you?” Victoria asked as she pointed her bony finger at Emily.
“Stop this right now!” Chase’s shout drew attention from Christmas shoppers nearby, but he didn’t care. He had had enough. “Victoria, the last time we spoke I had assured you that we were no longer an item. We should have never been together,” he began only to have her cut him off.
“...but Chase,” Victoria begged, “...you and I were the perfect pair!”
“No! That’s just it, Victoria. We were nothing alike. I was just so flattered that you were interested in me that I didn’t have the good sense to run away! I’m a Christian, and you’ve never even stepped foot in the door of a church. You have so much and you take it for granted. You know nothing about me,” he said as the tears crept into his eyes.
Emily watched on as still as stone. There was not a sound from the many eyes of shoppers that watched this scene unfold.
Chase continued. “I wonder, Victoria, if you had known that I grew up in a homeless shelter, would you have been so head over heels in love with me?” he confessed with a sarcastic laugh.
Victoria’s eyes reflected rage. The busy sounds of the mall were drowned out by the silence of tension. No one moved.
“That’s what I thought,” said Chase as he nodded his head. She had confirmed what he already knew. “So, are you here to have something gift-wrapped? Because if you’re not, then you’re holding up my line,” he said as politely as he could.
Victoria stood there complete with reddened cheeks and inflamed nostrils. “Well, what if I donate something to your little cause?” she said as she pulled a Prada box out of her bag. “Will you come back then?”
Chase was furious. “Isn’t that the same pair of shoes that you bought last week?”
“Well, I only wore them for an hour, and I decided I didn’t like them. I was going to return them, but the homeless people will be so glad to get anything that they won’t mind that the shoes are barely used.”
Emily gasped at her statement.
Chase stood there silently. He couldn’t move. Her words brought childhood memories flooding over him. The feelings of shame, hopelessness, and despair burned his soul as deeply as they did ten years ago.
Emily grabbed the box. “How could you? I can’t believe you just said that to him,” she said in intense whispers, while easing closer towards Victoria’s face. Her lips snarled as she continued. “He just shared a part of his life that no one knew, not even his church family, and you throw it back in his face?” She threw the box of high-dollar shoes on the ground, striving to control her volume and temper. “Take your shoes and your ugly, self-absorbed attitude out of here right now—we don’t need anything from you,” she said.
To her astonishment, the crowd burst into applause. Their cheers broke the silence. Chase finally moved from his near catatonic state. He looked at Emily like he never had before.
Victoria was livid. “Chase! You can’t possibly be choosing her over me!” she shouted over the roar of the crowd.
A Chick-fil-a employee standing near the edge of the throng had been watching the spectacle with great interest. She quieted the crowd. Everyone waited in anticipation for Chase’s answer.
“I most certainly am—with all my heart and soul...” he said as he looked at Emily with longing.
Emily blushed. The cheers of the shoppers and employees drowned out Victoria’s disgruntled screams and stomps as she fled, leaving her box of Prada’s right where Emily had thrown them. The on-lookers eventually went on their way and the scene settled down. Emily walked over and picked up the box of shoes, carrying them to Chase.
“Heart and soul, huh?” she said with a smile. She lifted the lid and looked at the expensive stiletto heels. “I’m not quite sure if anyone at the homeless shelter could have used these anyway,” she said ruefully.
Chase smiled. “I know. They need tennis shoes, flip-flops for the showers, sneakers, realistic dress shoes...” and then he stopped. “Emily...you’re a genius!”
“And that, kids, is how your mother and I began the “Heart and Sole” Shoe Donation Center that benefits homeless shelters all across the country,” Chase said as he passed the mashed potatoes to his son. “You see, it’s great to be thankful, but to whom much is given, much is required,” he said as she cast a loving glance at Emily, his wife of fifteen years.
Gotta Have Sole is a non-profit organization founded by Nicholas Lowinger, age 15. Inspired by a visit to a shelter at age 5, N
icholas began donating his own shoes to shelters, and then began collecting more from others. He has one rule about the donations—“the shoes must be new, and something that the kids may actually like.” Nicholas has been on the Today show, and has won many awards for his work in getting shoes to homeless children. He has since expanded the foundation with the SOLEdiers, a program that honors and benefits veterans, and Serving Love, which provides sports shoes to disadvantaged youth who desire to participate in sports, but do not have the footwear to do so.
To learn more about Gotta Have Sole, please visit their website:
www.gottahavesole.org
Information cited from:
Stanley, Craig. “Peace First prize rewards youth who are making a difference.” NBC Nightly News.com. Sat. October 5th, 2013, 3:05 pm. Accessed 11-1-2013. Web Article. https://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/05/20806014-peace-first-prize-rewards-youth-who-are-making-a-difference?lite
Lowinger, Nicholas. Gotta Have Sole.com/History. Accessed 11-1-2013. https://www.gottahavesole.org/ghs/about/history/
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About the Author
Amy Leah Magaw is a born-again author and pastor's wife with a passion for writing country-fried Christian romance. A mother of two active teenagers, Amy spends her days teaching high school—and loving it. She spends her nights escaping to her world of writing she affectionately calls, “The Oasis.” When Amy is not writing or teaching, she sails the secretarial seas at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Amy adores speaking at Ladies’ Conferences and meeting new friends. To learn more about Amy’s books, visit her blog at www.vcpbooks.com, or email Amy at [email protected].
