Blackberry Ripple Dahlia....photo courtesy of Bill Beaurain, The Garden Helper Website.

Big Feet and Big Heart 

Author Unknown

It was an unseasonably hot day. Everybody it
seemed, was looking for some kind of relief,
so an ice cream store was a natural place to stop.

A little girl, clutching her money tightly, entered the
store. Before she could say a word, the store clerk sharply
told her to get outside and read the sign on the door,
and stay out until she put on some shoes. She left slowly,
and a big man followed her out of the store.

He watched as she stood in front of the store and read
the sign: 'No Bare Feet'. Tears started rolling down her
cheeks as she turned and started to walked away. Just then
the big man called to her. Sitting down on the curb, he took
off his size-12 shoes, and set them in front of the girl saying,
"Here, you won't be able to walk in these, but if you sort of
slide along, you can get your ice cream cone."

Then he lifted the little girl up and set her feet into the shoes.
"Take your time," he said, "I get tired of moving them around,
and it'll feel good to just sit here and eat my ice cream."
The shining eyes of the little girl could not be missed
as she shuffled up to the counter and ordered her ice cream cone.

He was a big man, all right.
Big belly, big shoes, but most
of all, he had a big heart.

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