These are my Hallelujah Shoes.
Okay, I know you are thinking, "There's absolutely nothing special about these shoes!" Thats right. The shoes themselves aren't anything to write home about. But the purchase, well, it was special to me.
So here's the story of the Hallelujah Shoes.
A few years back, my husband and I were having a child-free day in Pigeon Forge. (We only had Bella at the time) We were browsing the outlet stores and I decided to go into one of the shoe stores. I had a pair of brown clogs (exactly identical to the ones pictured above) that I really liked. I had worn them for two winters, and they were coming apart. Literally. The insole was coming out, the stitching was coming loose, the soles were worn away. They were shot. But I liked them so much I wanted to find another pair just like them.
The problem was, I didn't want to pay a lot for them. I'm pretty thrifty when it comes to buying clothes and shoes for myself. I admit I don't shop at Goodwill or the thrift stores ~ even though I have absolutely nothing against wearing used clothes, I just usually dont have the time or patience to go hunt for what I need. But I very rarely buy clothes or shoes for me or my girls that isn't on sale, and I never shop at the more expensive stores. I don't buy things for myself until it becomes a need.
Anyway, I went into the shoe store, which of course was having their monthly "Huge Clearance!" and "Lowest Prices of the Season!" sale. I asked God, "Please let my shoes be on sale!..I walked around until, sure enough, I found THE shoes. I tried on the new pair and boy, did they look and feel. good. And surprise! they were on sale! I picked up the box and headed to the cash register.
In the fifteen seconds it took me to walk to the line at the front of the store, I was already trying to talk myself out of those shoes. Yes, they were on sale, but it was still a little more than I wanted to spend...I could use that money for other things....did I really need them? Wouldn't my old shoes last one more winter?
As I stood in line, argueing with myself, clutching that shoebox to my chest, an amazing thing happened. I remembered thinking one simple thought," Lord, please let them ring up even cheaper!"
One heartbeat later, the woman in front of me, a stranger, suddenly turned to me.
"I have this coupon for an extra %15 off that I can't use...would you like it?"
Would I?! Yes, ma'am!
So I bought the shoes, and I have always called them my Hallelujah shoes, 'cause that's what I felt like hollering when I left that shoe store. They always remind me that God hears and considers our smallest request.
You can read my friend Julie's blog posts at www.cherokeechix.com .
