I pondered silently as I tried to decide fairly, considering the good and bad points of each pair of shoes. “As I slipped one of the brown shoes on and tied the lace, it felt good in comparison to the red one on my other foot. Even though I had made decisions before, I had never made one as important as this. … “‘Why don’t you try these on,’ she said ‘then you can make the decision yourself.’ … Mama focused her forehead into another deep-thought wrinkle as she walked over and picked up a pair of brown oxfords in the size I needed. “The shoes didn’t look too small, but Mama seemed certain that there wasn’t enough room for my feet to grow. … “‘May I have them?’ I asked, feeling, without doubt, that I could stretch the tiny straps in a short period of time to fit comfortably. “The shoes, with a built-in toe and heel, felt tight, but nevertheless I succeeded without too much effort in getting them both on, and I stood and looked down in admiration. “Mama reasoned with me, telling me my feet needed room to grow even if the shoes did fit now. … However,’ she added when she saw the disappointed look on my face, ‘sometimes sandal-type slippers run a little larger than the average shoe. “‘The red shoes are a half size too small,’ she said, ‘and it is the only pair we have left. “‘I’ll be ever so careful with them,’ I coaxed. “‘They aren’t very practical,’ she said finally. … Mama studied the shoes for a long moment. “Mama came up behind me, and I led her directly to the shelf. I stopped short and caught my breath in awe at the beauty of their color and the daintiness of their sandal-type straps. … There on a middle shelf that was tilted up a little was a pair of bright red shoes sitting on a silver stand. I hurried past the canned goods, down through the hardwares, and wasn’t quite to the shoe department when suddenly I saw them. “As soon as we were parked, I jumped out of the pickup and ran into the building. “The town with the big country store was four long miles away, and it seemed like forever before we finally arrived. I was so excited, for it had been nearly a year since I … had been taken to the store to buy new shoes. … “‘I can hardly wait to buy the shoes,’ I answered. ‘Why the big hurry?’ she teased as if she didn’t know. “‘Can’t we go any faster?’ I asked anxiously as we rode along the graveled highway in our newly purchased secondhand pickup. The purpose of this lesson is to help us understand the importance of making wise decisions.
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