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David the homeless man started to cry.In order for the ER doctor to examine him, he needed to get undressed. With some coaxing, he undressed, explaining that removing his layers of Michigan winter clothing made him feel vulnerable.
He hesitated when I assisted him in taking off his socks, and once they were removed, I knew why. The socks were smelly, wet, and had not been changed in months. David also had a severe case of trench foot.
With soap and a pan of warm water I washed David's feet, recalling in my mind the biblical meaning of washing another feet. It was then I got the idea to start a Sock Ministry. Christmas was coming, and we encouraged people who received socks (again) for Christmas, to donate them to the Emergency Room. Within a few weeks we had hundreds of pairs of new socks. Word spread throughout the homeless population, and soon we had many homeless men and women coming to the ER for a new pair of socks.
One day, a patient visitor approached me in the ER.
"Are you that nurse that started that Sock Ministry?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied, "I was that nurse."
"I wanted to tell you that yesterday, I was standing outside of the pharmacy and I noticed this homeless guy because he had on a new pair of bright white socks, but he had no shoes on and was standing in the snow! He told me he got the socks from the Emergency Room at the hospital, and that's when I remembered I had a new pair of boots in the trunk of my car that I was returning to the store for my son. I got the boots out of the trunk and guess what? They fit him perfectly!"
For me, starting the sock ministry was simply a small way to fill a need, but her story of a serendipitous event makes it feel like the beginning of a few miracles.
5303 Reads
- Posted by stephanie_pennin
- Sep 16, 2013
- Comments (18)
Readers Comments
denisemj wrote: Hi Stephanie,
What a Wonderful ministry. I thought that was so kind of you to watch his feet like Jesus did to his disciples. The ministry that God let you start is priceless, and i love that the man received a pair of free boots. Thanks for caring & sharing :)
What a Wonderful ministry. I thought that was so kind of you to watch his feet like Jesus did to his disciples. The ministry that God let you start is priceless, and i love that the man received a pair of free boots. Thanks for caring & sharing :)
Ruhaani wrote: Sock Ministry! what a wonderful experiment you did. So nice of you Stephanie.
Glowworm wrote: Cheering here on this end. Woot! You made a ripple, and it got bigger, and I bet the ripples aren't over yet! (Sorry, not making much sense; I am semi sleep-deprived.)
Kindness begets kindness. Way to go :)
Kindness begets kindness. Way to go :)
starryskies wrote: Your kindness has touched my heart. Thanks for being you! :)
MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: That is very cool, thanks for spreading sock smiles! :)
Busygirl wrote: Your kind story touched my heart. Thanks for sharing your kindness
cabbage wrote: That is so awesome....what an angel you are..... thank you so much for sharing!
BABYROCKS wrote: Yes, that totally touched me. Thank you for being such a light in this world! You inspire me to find something similar that i can do in my community. <3
eckyssister wrote: Thankful for warm pigs!
peacehunter wrote: Your kindness ripple made a wave xo
