StarStuffs Articles for The Mind, Body and Spirit

The Tennis Shoes: A Lesson in Compassion

by StarStuffsDecember 2001

I was eating dinner in a restaurant the other evening when this mother and her 2 kids were seated nearby. The boy's shoes caught my attention..were some very cool looking, and expensive!!, Nikes! Ok they must have money right? Then I stopped my thoughts cold.

And in an instant I was thinking of how the father may have left them, or worse yet, killed. She works several jobs to just make ends meet and lives in a very tiny apartment with 2 growing kids and the car doesn't work half the time.

This night was a special one because it was her sons birthday dinner. He didn't receive any birthday present last year and this was going to be special. He only asked for one thing...those pair of Nikes.

So working a little extra she saved the money for the shoes just so her son could have his extra special day.

There are always circumstances that you don't know about people, where they come from, where they have been mentally and emotionally even spiritually. If someone is having a rough day..there's a reason..If someone outbursts negativity..there's a reason..If someone is hurting inside and becomes tough and cold on the outside..there's a reason..If someone hurts or maims another either in words or actions..there's a reason.

I didn't know the "real story" of this family but the lesson it imparted was valuable. There are many people we meet each day that we make assumptions about. We may not always know about their life and their the reasons for doing things, so we must let Spirit handle that part. What we can do is have compassion for things we do not know.

Love and Light,
StarStuffs