The Shoe That Changed My Life Part II

The Shoe that Changed My Life Part II

 3/14/12

After the kids had run away and gone about their business I stood on the pier and just looked at the empty boat tied up to the post.  It was at that time that I realized just what that boat and I had in common.  The boat had been built for a purpose and there was a purpose for my life as well.  I had no idea how many voyages that boat had been through or the amount of times it had been in trouble or even served as a rescue shelter in time of need.  I could only venture to guess that hundreds of peoples’ lives had been touched in some way by that boat, yet it sat there tied up empty.

With my new adventure in life beginning to sink into my brain, I realized that my life was similar to that boat in the fact that I had been in many places throughout my life and encountered many things in the world but had never really been exposed to what the world offered the majority of the world.  Yeah, sure I was still a kid and had many new things to learn about life but this event opened my soul up to a new environment that I had never witnessed before and the reality of the world’s conditions hit me like a boulder.

I noticed other kids playing in the water but was numb from my encounter and really did not pay much attention to them.  There was no way that they could have not noticed my facial expressions of shock but they evidently too ignored my presence and continued playing and laughing in the water.  I caught a glimpse of them as they climbed into the abandoned boat and continued their playing, pirates no less I guess that could have been a popular game with them, I do not know.

I then turned back to my left and had another shock to my system.  In this place of desolation and poverty so bad that we really were not advised to lick our lips, a cruise ship was docked across the bay.  It was a fairly large bay but I could easily see the ship.  I could not believe this scene and how much my modern living conditions could return to my senses so quickly with one glance at a somewhat familiar object.  The cruise ship really set my mind into a spin and posed many questions for future pondering.

I do not know exactly how long I had been standing on that pier, but after some time had passed dad called out to me to return to the car and that it was time for us to leave.  As I looked up at him and acknowledged his request, I slowly turned my head and looked back at the boat and the kids playing, smiled and then began walking towards the car.  I began to wonder if dad had witnessed any of these activities and wondered what he would say about them when I told him the details of what occurred.

As I walked from the pier back to dry land, the entire group appeared from the other side of the shack and looked at me.  Fittingly and ironically at the same time my legs became shaky as I began my walk towards the car.  I was weak at the knees but not for the usual teenage boy reasons and as I continued walking the shakiness continued and I thought to myself I don’t know if I can do this or not.  I found the balance I needed as my walk continued but what a weird sensation to have.  The short walk seemed to take forever to complete but it was over in a few seconds.

I said I was coming and they began to get into the car, with the exception of dad.  He waited for me and when I was close enough asked me if I was ok and I began to explain to him what have transpired on the pier.  He did not have much to say about the incident but what he did say struck another blow to my already shattered mind, and it was not a mean statement or anything along those lines but it was a reinforcement statement in which spoke volumes in my life at that time and still rings clear in my life today.  He said that we Americans take for granted everything that God has blessed us with and even the things we toss aside are considered treasures to other people in the world.

I do not believe he understood the magnitude of what just had occurred, and the impact that it was having upon my life; I know he did not because I was just realizing the fallout that was happening.  I approached the car and turned around to take a final look at the bay and the pier, the pictures were still there and it was then I realized that what had just transpired was real and I was not dreaming.  I got into the car and closed the door as a few other Haitians approached the front of the car.  With my inner world crumbling before me I really did not care if I ever got out of that city or returned to the modern world again.  At that moment I knew that I had been changed and that I would not view certain aspects of life the same again.

We began the long dirt road trek out of the area, slowly since, to my amazement, a few people continued to ascend from the metal and cardboard shacks from each side.  As we proceeded towards the main road the general conversational topic inside the car was concerning how the recently past situation had played out and the general consensus of all the adult occupants was one of fear for their lives when the vast hoard of people rushed to our location.  I remember a time when President Clinton went to Africa and a similar situation occurred that was caught on worldwide television slightly panicked when the crowd pressed against him.  As I watched that scene I knew exactly how he felt and what was going through his mind at that time.

As we continued the trek to the main road I was continually amazed of how many people appeared out of the alleys and watched us as we slowly drove away.  On each of their faces one could see the deep anguish of poverty and slavery to that society in which they once again realized that hope was slipping from their grasp.  They were not violent in any way towards us nor were they angry that they did not receive any gifts from our party.  They just silently watched us leave the area and then slowly returned to their community confines.

As we turned on the main road and began our journey back to the hotel, I sat in the back seat and basically said nothing for the remaining ride, just listened to the conversations that were continuing between the adults in the car, which was fine I had many things on my mind at the time.  The ride back to the hotel took about thirty minutes or so and no further developments occurred that day.  I did not realize exactly what had happened in my life at that time but as the trip proceeded I found myself looking at the people of Haiti and their living conditions in a different light; which this new enlightenment of mine would continue within me up until the present time of my life.

Dad knew that the events of the day had shaken me quite a bit especially when he asked if I was ok and I immediately asked to opt out for the meeting that evening.  Dad agreed to let me stay in the hotel alone and go on to the meeting without me, in fact I had attended my last meeting for the entire trip the previous night.

One shoe changed my life on a permanent basis.  It is difficult for many people to understand how this could happen with a small kid that comes up to you and says a few words and then leaves could possibly change your entire thinking process, especially when you are a kid yourself.  To be honest, It was God that allowed that change in me that day, it was God that showed that boy where to run to and say thank you.  It was God who allowed my heart to be opened just slightly enough to hear His words speak to me through that young kid.  It is God who opened my eyes, in a very normal and courteous human way that most would have shrugged off as simple gratuity.  Yes, God does get our attention in His own way and timing and yes, it is God who desires to wake us up and restore His love to us.

DLB