What happens when a beloved pastor's birthday and a
zeal for helping others meet head on?
Socks happen!!
Here are Pastor Judith's Sock Chronicles Parts One and Two:
zeal for helping others meet head on?
Socks happen!!
Here are Pastor Judith's Sock Chronicles Parts One and Two:
Sock Chronicles Part One: Birthday Surprises Usually I am something of a poor sport when it comes to my birthday. First, it is on Valentine’s Day, which means (one) people tend to give me gifts covered in hearts, and (two) there is nowhere to go out for dinner that isn’t overcrowded with couples making cow eyes at each other. Birthdays also mean I am getting older. This year I had Jay take me to the makeup counter at Macy’s to buy the strongest moisturizers and wrinkle creams they sell. This year, however, turned out to be very surprising. Since my birthday was a Sunday, I was looking forward to everyone focusing on church and not me. Instead, I was greeted by person after person wearing personalized stickers (18 varieties in all), wishing me a happy birthday and saying all sorts of nice things about me. But, the biggest surprise of all came when the church sang Happy Birthday to me – everyone had brought in socks, socks, and more socks. They tossed them from the pews. They lobbed them from the balcony. The church had brought in 429 pairs of socks for the homeless! Best gift ever!!! |
Sock Chronicles Part Two: Church by the Pond My first sock distribution was at Church by the Pond in Bushnell Park in Hartford. Church by the Pond is an outside worship service for the homeless provided by Christ Church Cathedral. My husband, Jay, was leading worship, and I came with over 100 pairs of socks. As the homeless people continued to gather, I hoped that I had brought enough. As the people came though the line and I offered them socks, they were so grateful. Simple pairs of socks made faces light up and smiles break out. An elderly woman beamed at me when I asked if she wanted the soft, fuzzy chenille socks. I have three pairs to the man who had mentioned during worship that it was his birthday, and he seemed so grateful that I thought his birthday was worth celebrating. The man that most touched my heart said, “Oh yes please. Thank you. I’m going to put these on right now. I don’t have any socks.” I asked, “do you not have socks on now, or do you not own any socks?” He did not own socks at all. In his life, socks are a luxury item. Of course, I gave him several pairs to take with him. His gratitude for such a simple gift made my heart ache. |