The Little Pink Slippers by Lois Jones, Guest Writer

THE LITTLE PINK SLIPPERS

by Lois Jones

The school bus pulled into the circle in front of West Central Elementary. This had been my first year in my new school since we had recently moved. I was in third grade and my brother, Bobby, was in fourth. As we stepped off the bus, I saw some of my girl classmates and as usual they had their little carrying cases with them because it was Thursday. Every Thursday several little girls in my class had ballet classes after school. How I envied them; not so much for the dancing, but for the little pink ballet slippers they got to wear. I really wanted to have a pair of pink ballet slippers. I spent a lot of time at home curling my toes under and standing on the tops of my toes pretending I had ballet slippers on my feet.

Times were tough at home and there was no money for ballet shoes or lessons. However, that did not stop my intense longing. I felt a little out of place in third grade anyway because since I had started first grade at five years old I was now only seven and the smallest one in my class.  I dreaded to go to school on Thursdays because I knew the girls would have their lessons and I would have to hear about it all day long.

This Thursday proved to be different than all the rest. My school bus came thirty minutes after school which allowed me time to play under an oak tree on the playground. There were no girls to play with this day since they had gone to lessons or home. My brother was some distance away playing marbles with the boys. I was all alone under the tree. Suddenly I saw a small rectangular box sitting between the exposed roots of the tree. I removed the top and inside was a brand new pair of pink ballet slippers just my size. I knew they had not been left by any of the girls because they would not have fit since they were all bigger than I was. Even though I was only seven years old and had not been brought up in church, I knew God had sent them by an angel.  It gives God great pleasure to give good  gifts to his children. To this day, I am thankful and my poor toes are too.