Heart and Sole

It's coming, the annual One Day Without Shoes to raise awareness for the millions of kids around the world who don't have shoes. Are you planning to join the movement April 10th? 

It sounds like such a good cause, sponsored by Toms. They're kind of pricey, those shoes, but for every pair sold, the company donates a pair to a child in need. One for One, so it's worth it, to me. Says owner Blake Mycoskie, "Giving is what fuels us. Giving is our future." 

Kind of reminds me of a book on my shelf by Maribeth Boelts called Those Shoes. It speaks to me because there's a well-intentioned counselor in the story who gives Jeremy, a little boy in need, some shoes. But unlike the ones he's got his eye on, they're actually pretty dorky, with a Bob-the-Builder type character on them. In a stroke-of-luck moment, however, Jeremy does find those shoes at a resale shop, but they aren't quite his size. What he does with them after he realizes that they aren't ever going to fit is what endears me to this book, that and the fact that it's got two important lessons woven in, one that addresses wants v. needs and the other that has to do with empathy, putting yourself in another's shoes. 

Use the latter as a springboard for a writing assignment:  When was the last time you put yourself in someone else's shoes? What happened? What was that experience like? What was easy about it? What was burdensome? How did it feel? If you'd like to follow it up with a service project, consider hosting a shoe drive in partnership with Soles 4 Souls. We sent gently-used shoes to Haiti and, with our help, this charitable organization has distributed over 16 million pairs of shoes. 

Giving nourishes us, heart and soul!