One night, I responded to a collision involving two cars. One car made a left turn in front of another and they crashed at the driveway of the Goodwill store. The male who made the left turn was at fault and had a suspended license. I impounded his vehicle and took the report. It was a week before Christmas, about six or seven years ago.

The male told me he was going to the Goodwill store to buy shoes for his three kids when he crashed. From our conversation I found out he was no stranger to spending time in custody. He was very respectful and never asked for a chance about the car.

His three kids were passengers in the car at the time. I can’t remember their exact ages, but they were between ten and six years old. The youngest was a girl. My children were about the same age at the time.

I compared the Christmas my children were about to have to these three young passengers. My children’s lives were of comfort. These other children lived in a world where their father was in and out of jail. I knew they probably would never have a Christmas like my kids.

The next day I spoke to my wife and told her about the children. We agreed we were going to buy them shoes for Christmas.

A few days later, I went to the driver’s apartment after going 10-8. He wasn’t home, but a relative was. I told her the reason I was there and she said she would pass on the message.

A little while later, I spoke with the father on the phone. I told him we wanted to get his children shoes for Christmas. He was very thankful and accepted our offer . The next day I met him at Payless after coming on-duty.

The clerk had a confused look when we walked in. The parents helped their kids with sizes while I waited.

The boys got tennis shoes and the little girl put on black dress shoes. They were not exactly what I was thinking. I had a more practical shoe in mind, but the smile on her face was awesome. When we were done, I paid for the shoes and we walked out together.

The man and his wife thanked me and we parted ways, wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas and be safe.